Dream
by ttfan111robstar1
Summary: A sort of sequel to "Accidents". Kaiba and Mokuba both experienced the bond that came with reliving babyhood, and now it's Yugi and Atem's turn. Rated M for infantilism.
1. Dream

**Author's Note: I'm back! This idea popped into my head last night and I just couldn't resist! Fair warning: It will likely not be updated daily until "Where I Belong" is finished. I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

Atem often found himself awake in the middle of the night. Yugi would always be asleep, so he took to wandering the corridors of their mind, marking doors he'd gone through, and exploring new ones- both in his and Yugi's mind. Tonight he was looking through Yugi's subconscious, trying to find something to occupy him. He came to a long hallway deep in his mind that, from the looks of it, contained his desires. so deeply hidden that he knew it wouldn't even show up in his dreams. The last door was the only one without a mark. So, with nothing to lose, he went inside.

What he found shocked him to the core.

It was a nursery with a crib, mobile, changing table, rocking chair, closet, dresser, and dozens upon dozens of toys.

For a moment he paused in the doorway, unsure of what to do now.

The nursery seemed to be empty. He looked around and ensured that it was, before stepping inside. Everything still looked the same. But he couldn't help wondering why this was here in the first place. What had sparked it's presence here? He ran through his memories of everything they had been through together, but nothing stood out. There had to be something in here that could answer his question. So he decided to go looking for it. There were clothes and diapers, pacifiers and books, but nothing that seemed to tell him anything.

Nothing, that is, until he found a small picture hidden in the dresser.

He picked it up and looked at it, suddenly getting all the answers he needed. This room had been here long before he had even met Yugi. The picture had a newborn Yugi being held by his parents, with his grandfather standing with them. Maybe this was his only way of remembering them, thought Atem. He sat down in the rocking chair, thinking to himself.

What was he going to do now? Now that he'd found this place he couldn't very well forget it. There had to be something he could do. And that's when he thought of it. Maybe he could show him this place in his dreams and see what happened. So that was exactly what he did.

He went up to the door that held his dreams and then projected the image of the nursery there. Then, he kept the door open just a crack so he could watch the reaction.

Yugi's sleep before this had been black and dreamless, but now with a burst of color there was a nursery there. Yugi stepped forward. There was something strangely familiar about this room. The walls were light blue with clouds painted on them. The crib was against the back wall, with the bookshelf across from it. The closet was on another stretch of wall, opposite the changing table and dresser. The rocking chair was shoved into one corner, and stuffed animals were strewn all over the carpet. He picked up the nearest one. It was a soft stuffed Kuriboh. He smiled and hugged it to his chest, then started looking around the room.

Everything seemed to be bigger than normal. But maybe that was because he was so short. He stepped toward the crib and let down the side. He didn't really know what he was doing or why, but for once he didn't care- that was the joy of it being a dream. He got inside and put up the crib side. When he looked down at himself he realized he was only wearing a short blue shirt and a diaper. He looked around the room and saw different stuffed animals around the crib. There was a watapon, a dark magician, the Kuriboh he had in his hand, and a Gazelle, the king of mythical beasts. He crawled over to where the dark magician plush was and started playing with it, giggling to himself. Until he turned around, he didn't notice that there was a pacifier sitting between the Antennae of his watapon. When he saw it, he eagerly reached for it and put it in his mouth, sucking on it happily.

For a long while, Atem watched him play, marveling at how relaxed he seemed to be. It was like someone had come in and taken all the cares from his shoulders. He seemed perfectly content, and Atem couldn't have been more excited for him. As much as he wanted to come out and say something, he held back because he didn't want Yugi to be embarrassed. So he stayed to watch instead.

Yugi played for a while until he got bored. When he put his dark magician down he realized that he had to go to the bathroom- badly. He stood up and tried to unlock the crib, but it seemed to stretch until it was was just barely out of reach. He realized then that there was nothing else he could do. He was all alone. so he sat down, held his Kuriboh in his arms and waited.

He looked down at himself and stared at his diaper. It wasn't anything special, just a regular one with duel monsters embroidering it. He wondered to himself how he was going to get changed after this, because he couldn't hold it for very much longer. So he closed his eyes and started thinking about things that made him happy. It relaxed him enough that he finally started wetting his diaper. At first he couldn't believe that he had actually done that, but then he realized that he didn't really mind at all. He started to crawl over to where the other stuffed animals were, cooing quietly to himself. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he started getting uncomfortable. He squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable position, but couldn't. Unconsciously, he started to whimper, and tears began to form in his eyes.

Atem was unable to stand by any longer and quietly came through the door. Yugi looked up at him, eyes wide and cheeks the brightest shade of red.

"It's alright." Atem said soothingly. "Let me help you."

Yugi let his guard down for once and let his most trusted friend change him. When it was over, Atem was about to explain what he had found when Yugi woke up.


	2. Choice

**Author's Note: Pharaoh Atem: So glad to see your name back in my reviews! I've missed you! I'm so glad you're loving this, and I hope you love this chapter too!**

Yugi woke up confused. The image of his dream was slowly fading from his memory, but the plot line was still fresh in his mind. He wondered about the strange dream he had, and was about to ask Atem about it when a knock came at his door.

"Yugi! I'm leaving!"

"I'll be right out, grandpa!"

He went downstairs to see his grandpa carrying a duffel bag and a rolling luggage set. He gave him a hug.

"I'll be back from the dig in two weeks." He promised.

"Tell Professor Hawkins I said hi!"

"Will do!" A cab pulled up to the game shop and he got inside while Yugi waved goodbye through the window. When the cab was out of sight, he went back upstairs to get ready for school. When his eyes finally found a clock he realized with alarm that he was running late, and scrambled to get dressed. Although he wanted answers about that dream (and could sense that Atem wanted to give him the answers he craved) he had to shove it aside for now.

He had to run to make it to his first class on time, but made it just seconds before it began. Téa, Tristan, and Joey gave him an odd look every now and then, but otherwise it was a normal day. He went to class, hung out with his friends, and did his chores as if he was fine, but his mind often wandered away from his current task and circled back to that dream. What on earth did it mean? When he finally got back to the game shop, he was alone at last. He went upstairs to his bedroom and locked the door. He knew it was irrational considering he was home alone, but he didn't want to be disturbed.

He sat on his bed and watched as Atem appeared before him.

"Hey." He said, quietly.

Atem nodded. "You've been wondering about that dream all day."

"Yeah. It's been pretty distracting."

"I have an answer for you, Yugi. I just don't know how you'll take it. Honestly, I didn't know how to take it."

"Is it that bad?"

Atem chose his words carefully. "It's not bad, it's just... surprising."

"I have to know what it means, or at least why it showed up like it did."

"I'm afraid I'm to blame for it showing itself in that way. I found it lying in your subconscious mind and was seeking some answers of my own. I couldn't think of another way to bring it up."

"Well at least that explains some of it. You said you found it in my subconscious?"

"That's right."

"Where exactly did it come from?"

This was the part Atem had tried preparing himself for all day. He gathered his courage and nerve and just said it:

"I found it in your desires."

He had imagined Yugi blushing at that, but the actual shade of Crimson his face turned was something his imagination couldn't have conjured if he tried.

"At least you know now." He said, trying to sound comforting.

"I guess so."

The question still remained what he was going to do with the new information. He was quiet for a long while, trying to process all of it. Atem remained silent as he sat beside him. Yugi tried to recall what had happened in the dream, but it had slipped away. The only part he did remember was the very end.

"Do you want to see it?" Atem said, responding to his thoughts. Yugi nodded, and Atem took him to the part of his mind where the dream was stored. They watched it together from the outside- Yugi embarrassed, and Atem stoic- until the dream came to an end.

"Now what?" Asked Yugi aloud, unsure about how to react to what he'd just seen.

"That is entirely up to you. Just know that I'll support whatever decision you make."

"So you're not freaked out by this?"

He thought of all their past adventures and smiled. "Considering everything we've been through this is certainly not the worst thing I've seen." Yugi smiled slightly at him. "I just don't want you to look back on this and regret your choice in the future." Yugi's face dropped and he nodded. "I'll leave you to decide on your own."

"Thanks." Said Yugi before his counterpart vanished.

Yugi laid down on top of the bed, trying to think. He started by acknowledging the facts. This was weird. Weirder than weird, even. And if anyone found out about it he'd be an outcast for sure- well except maybe from his friends and his grandpa. Thinking of them sent a chill up his spine. What would they think of this if they found out? But, he reasoned with himself, they didn't have to find out. This could be his little secret, shared only with the person he shared a mind and body with. He thought about the happiness and carefree feeling that had surrounded him in the dream. So often in his life he had been called upon to save the world from destruction. He was a teenager, still in high school, and yet he was burdened to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He had certainly earned a break. He deserved to be happy too.

That simple thought turned the tide for him.

It was time to do something to make himself happy. Time to put himself first for once. Atem's words came to mind.

 _I just don't want you to look back on this and regret your choice in the future._

He knew if he didn't do this, he would have regrets. So, more uncertain than ever before, he stuck his thumb in his mouth and started sucking on it, instantly feeling more relaxed.

It was his turn to be happy now, and he wasn't going to waste it. So, determined to put himself first, he set off to go find Atem and start his new life.


	3. Free

**Author's Note: Please Review!**

After leaving Yugi to think about what he wanted, Atem had wandered through the corridors of the mind they shared, not looking for anything in particular, just enjoying the walk. It wasn't until he got the sensation that Yugi had made his choice that he came back out. He smiled when he saw Yugi sucking his thumb.

"I see you've made your choice." He said, smiling. Yugi nodded. "Good. Now the question remains what are you going to do now, and how far do you want to go?"

Yugi sat down to think about it. It was a fair question he posed.

"You know I'll be willing to help you, Yugi." Said Atem. Yugi nodded, then started thinking about the dream. He knew the most important parts of the dream, and what he wanted to get from it. But he was too embarrassed to get them himself. Atem, being able to hear his thoughts, decided to step in. After everything Yugi had done for him, he was more than ready to pay him back.

"I'll handle this." He promised.

"Are you sure?" Yugi asked. Atem nodded, then took over.

The trip to the store was short and uneventful. Yugi would have been blushing the whole time and giving himself away, but Atem stayed calm, confident, and focused. He got the items he knew Yugi wanted, and was out of the store and back home in fifteen minutes. Once inside the bedroom, Yugi took over again, both excited and nervous at this new prospect.

He opened the package of adult diapers and pulled one out. As excited as he was for this, he was still scared. Atem offered to help and, blushing, he agreed. Yugi took off his pants and his boxers and laid down on the floor, where Atem taped up his diaper. When it was over, Yugi sat up, trying to get used to the feel of it. That's when he remembered that he was still wearing his usual shirt, jacket, and collar. He frowned. That didn't make him feel babyish at all. So he dug through his closet until he found a plain t-shirt. Satisfied with his new ensemble, he crawled over to the bed and reached for the bag from the store. Aside from the diapers, Atem had also gotten him a pacifier, some bottles, and a toy. So he pulled the pacifier out of it's packaging, and went down to the kitchen to sterilize it. While he was waiting, he did the same to one of the bottles and then made himself a bottle of warm milk. When he found the hole in the nipple to be too small for his liking, so he opened it up more by using a ballpoint pen, and then did the same with the other two nipples.

When that was done he left the other bottles and pacifier cool off in the kitchen while he went back to his bedroom to play with the toy Atem had gotten him. It was soft on the outside and oval shaped. It jingled when shook, and had a part that squeaked when squeezed. So he put on some cartoons to watch while he played, then stopped when he wanted his bottle of milk. He sucked on it greedily while he watched TV. An hour passed quickly by. When the milk was gone he went back and grabbed his pacifier and other bottles from the kitchen. He popped the pacifier in his mouth before crawling back to his room. He watched cartoons until he realized he was tired. So he crawled to his bed, snuggled up to his soft toy, and easily fell asleep.

Yugi woke up to urgent pressure on his bladder. He sat up in bed, and then realized something was between his lips. That's when he remembered the pacifier. He moved to start going to the bathroom when he felt padding between his legs and remembered his diaper. He threw the covers off to look at it. It wasn't like he was used to thinking of them a certain way, but he'd always pictured them on babies. A part of his head argued that sitting in a diaper, sucking on a pacifier, and drinking a bottle were the most babyish things a person could do, but this was not the time to be arguing with himself.

He got up and walked to the bathroom and flicked on the light when he was met with his reflection in the mirror. It stopped him cold.

He didn't look like a teenager anymore. He looked like an oversized infant. His eyes had always been the picture of innocence, and now the rest of him was dressed to match. The rational part of him argued that this was nuts, that he was sixteen years old, and that he should start acting like it. But another part, a quieter, more timid voice, argued that it wasn't true. That he was just a baby and he didn't have to act like a big boy if he didn't feel like one.

Yugi didn't know what to do. He was trapped by his own indecision. But he knew he had a choice to make and he had to make it now. His bladder was screaming for release. It all came down to the dream. This moment had happened there, and now it was repeating itself in the real world. If he could handle it there, he could handle it here. So he dropped down onto all fours and started crawling around the house, making cooing noises and pretending that he really was a baby who didn't know anything other than diapers, pacifiers, and bottles of milk. Finally, his body relaxed and he started to wet his diaper. He stopped crawling and sat down where he was until his bladder was empty.

He sat there for a few minutes, wondering what to do now. He ended up crawling back to his room and playing with his toy. And, just like in the dream, his diaper started to grow cold and clammy until he started whimpering quietly. The whimpers grew into cries, and he sat there crying until Atem appeared and changed him. His cried diminished until they were nonexistent, and when his diaper was changed, he reached up and hugged his closest friend tightly.

"Thank you." Atem smiled and looked at him.

Anytime, Yugi. Anytime."


	4. Comfort

**Author's Note: I'm so glad you guys love this as much as I do! I hope you love this chapter! Please review!**

 **Pharoh Atem: I based it off of Yugi catching Atem in season 4 even though he was a spirit at the time. I hope that makes sense! It was in the middle of Rise Of The Great Beast part 2.**

That first day of babyhood was everything Yugi didn't even know he needed. He got to laugh And play for the first time in years. Atem got to watch, as well as do things with him. The thing that stood out the most to him when he looked back on that day was how at peace Yugi seemed to be with himself and the world around him. That was something he treasured more than anything else. The boy had already been through far too much for someone his age, and yet Yugi had taken it all with a grain of salt and a stiff upper lip. Atem was so proud of him, but he also worried over the boy who's vessel he shared. It was clear his inner child needed to be released, but he was the only one who knew of this secret, so he had appointed himself as a guardian over his babyish side. Yugi, who knew exactly what Atem was thinking, was perfectly happy with that.

The sun was just starting to go down below the horizon. Yugi had just finished doing the dishes and was eager to get back to playing. He went back to his room and was about to go and watch TV when he remembered something. He grabbed a chair and climbed up on it to reach the top shelf of his closet. There was a box there, very old and extremely dusty. He pulled it out and set it down on the ground. He hopped off the chair and opened up the box. There was a red book in there on the top, but what interested him was the powder blue blanket surrounding it. He picked it up and nuzzled it, rubbing it against his cheek. Atem came out and looked at him questioningly.

"This was mine a long time ago. My parents gave it to me before... Well, you know."

Atem nodded. "Do you ever miss them?"

The question caught Yugi off guard, and he looked down at the blanket.

"Sometimes. If I see something that reminds me of them. But it's hard to miss people you never really knew."

Atem knew the feeling quite well, but he also knew the intense longing he'd felt to know about his own past. "But you still feel like you're missing something even though you never knew them." He finished. Yugi nodded.

"That's true."

He put the box back up on the shelf, and then put the chair away. He pulled the blue blanket around his shoulders, then crawled up onto his bed, carrying his toy in his grip. He watched TV for a while before he got tired and decided to go to bed. Wearing nothing but a diaper and a t-shirt he huddled under the covers and fell asleep sucking on his pacifier and cuddling his new toy. Once he was sure Yugi was asleep, Atem brought to nursery up into his dreams again. This way they could do things together that they couldn't normally because they shared a body.

When the nursery showed up this time, Yugi had no reservations about going inside. He got inside the crib and instantly started searching for new stuffed animals to play with. He found the Kuriboh plush toy that he had loved the first time he came there and squeezed it to his chest. It squeaked slightly, and he giggled. He crawled over to one end of the crib and noticed something he hadn't the day before. It was attached to the crib itself, had a small mirror, a smiling sun button, and four different colored lights. When he pushed the sun button it started playing a song while the different colored lights lit up to the music. He laughed and clapped his hands while Atem watched from the Rocking Chair. When Yugi got bored with that, he looked over at his counterpart. Atem smiled and got up. He let down the side of the crib and helped Yugi down so they could play together on the floor.

After a while, Yugi felt a different bodily function that needed to be tended to. He started squirming in his seat, trying to get comfortable, but it was no good. He felt himself starting to panic, and he started searching for his pacifier to calm him down. Atem found it and put it in his mouth. He knew very well what was happening, but he also knew that this was a dream. If there was ever a time for Yugi to have this problem, it was now while he was still within the safe walls of his mind. He would have left to let him have this moment alone if he hadn't known that he would be needed to change him after this was over. Yugi sucked on the pacifier and slowly began to calm down. He hugged the Kuriboh toy to his chest, then tried to relax himself. Quicker than he thought, it began. So he shut his eyes and went to a place in his mind that was peaceful. Soon enough, it was over, but he couldn't stop himself from crying. Atem stood and picked him up (it was a dream, after all) and changed him. When it was over, Yugi was red in the face with embarrassment, but soon went back to playing and forgot about it all.

The night passed quickly by, and all too soon it was morning. Yugi awoke to the blaring sounds of his alarm clock. He smacked the snooze button and rolled over in bed, his diaper crinkling as he moved. He sighed and threw the covers off. He got up and went to the bathroom out of habit, but then remembered his diaper. He didn't want it to go to waste, so he used it and disposed of it before he got into the shower. It felt a little strange getting into his school uniform, but he knew it was better this way. He couldn't risk anyone finding out his secret. So he shoved his package of diapers under his bed, and hid his pacifier and bottles in a drawer. He made himself breakfast and then headed off to school.


	5. Changes

When Yugi went to school that next day, he felt that many things were different. Okay, so maybe it wasn't that things were different as much as it was that _he_ was different. It had only been one day, and yet he felt that he had become a totally different person. He felt much happier than he normally did, and it showed in the way he carried himself. Each one of his friends noticed it at one point or another- even Seto Kaiba saw this change- but Yugi never said a word about what was going on, leaving his friends to wonder what it was that was different.

Yugi, meanwhile, was left with a tough dilemma. To start with, he had to constantly remind himself that he wasn't at home, so he couldn't give into the strong urges that were distracting him from learning. Atem had to remind him more than once not to suck his thumb. But the thing that was distracting him most was that he didn't have a diaper on. He felt so naked without it on, it was shocking. The day seemed to pass by too slowly. Even after school was over, he felt obligated to hang out with his friends in order to throw suspicion off of himself. If he went straight home he knew that they would think something was wrong, and if he wanted to keep his secret, he couldn't let them in on anything. When they all decided to head home for the day, Yugi was relieved. Before he went home, though, he decided to do a little shopping. He found a few toys he liked, and bought them before heading home for the night.

He got home and ran to his room excitedly. He pulled out the package of diapers from under his bed and started getting undressed. Atem helped to tape up his diaper, while Yugi took off his school uniform and put on a babyish looking shirt. He put a pair of white socks on, then dig through the drawer until he found his pacifier. There was a ribbon attached to the pacifier that he pinned to his shirt, that way if it fell out of his mouth it wouldn't hit the floor. He put it in his mouth, started sucking, and then looked down at himself. He liked the way he looked, especially with his diaper. He moved around just to hear it crinkle and thought about how much thicker it was than normal underwear. Satisfied with his appearance, he crawled over to where he set his shopping bag down and looked through it. He had finally gotten a few plush toys of his own to play with, just like in the dream. A Kuriboh, a dark magician, and a marshmellon. Plus, he'd gotten himself a rattle. After wrestling all of them out of their packaging, he cuddled his new plush friends to his chest and giggled childishly as he shook the rattle as hard as he could. When he got thirsty, he dropped his toys and went to the dresser to get his bottle, and then crawled to the kitchen for a warm bottle of milk, cooing and babbling gibberish the whole way.

When it was done, he crawled back to his room, plopped down on the floor, and started suckling on his bottle. He was so focused on drawing out the milk, he didn't realize he had started wetting himself until he was done. Well, more specifically, Atem had to come and change him before he realized what had happened. Yugi blushed and took out his pacifier.

"I Sowwy."

Atem smiled at him reassuringly. "It's fine. That's what they're for."

Yugi was starting to worry. Atem, sensing his fear, spoke to him calmly.

"Don't be afraid, Yugi. This is your mind's way of telling you what you need. There's no need to be ashamed of it."

"But-"

"You'll be fine. I promise. Just keep them on, okay?" He said, finishing taping up the diaper.

"Otay. Tanks Daddy." He said without thinking about it.

When he realized what he'd said, Atem saw Yugi turn a shade of red he'd only seen in women's lipstick. But he himself was flattered. It was a high compliment he was just paid.

"Sowwy." Yugi said quickly, unable to look him in the eye.

Much like his counterpart two days before, Atem knew he had a choice to make in that moment. He knew that destiny had brought them together for a reason. He hadn't known all the reasons, but maybe this was one of them. This boy needed someone to depend on. If anyone could take on the role of a father, it was him. He knelt down to Yugi's level and waited until Yugi looked at him, clearly embarrassed. He picked up the pacifier hanging by a ribbon and gently pressed it to Yugi's mouth until he accepted it. Yugi looked at him, clearly confused. Atem looked at him kindly.

"It's alright. If that's what you want me to be, then I'll be that for you."

Yugi's eyes widened. _Really?_ He thought. Atem nodded.

Yugi's eyes teared up, and he wrapped his friend in a hug. This was the best gift he had ever gotten. When he finally calmed down, Atem encouraged him to go on and play like he had before. Yugi nodded, and started crawling over to his plush toys to cuddle with them. As he was playing, he was getting so involved with the storyline he was creating that he almost didn't hear the phone ring. He took his pacifier out and answered.

"Hello?"

"Yugi!"

"Hey Joey! What's up?"

"I got a favor to ask you."

"Sure, anything."

"I kinda got locked out of my house. Can I crash at your place for the night?"

Yugi started to sweat. But he couldn't turn down a friend in need. "Yeah, sure."

"Great! I'll see you soon."

"Later, Joey."

"Later!"

Yugi felt himself starting to panic, but the pharaoh took over. He took care of hiding everything and got dressed before he let Yugi take over again. Yugi calmed slightly at the idea that the pharaoh had taken care of it, but he felt a new fear run up his spine as he realized he was still diapered.

"Don't worry." Atem soothed. "I took care of that too."

Before Yugi could ask what he meant, the doorbell rang.

More nervous than ever, Yugi went to answer the door, hoping and praying that his secret would be kept under wraps.


	6. Sleepover

**Author's Note: Dark Yugi: So glad you're loving it! And, to ease your mind, I wouldn't have all of Yugi's friends find out at once- that would take all the fun out of it! But one at a time is a different story. Truth be told, I didn't think anyone was going to find out this fast, either! But the story is writing itself and I'm just being dragged along for the ride at this point. I hope I don't disappoint you too much! I hope you love this chapter.**

 **Pharaoh Atoms: It is weird to think of Yugi as a baby for me too. I find that looking at fan art helps bridge the gap, though. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Please Review!**

Yugi opened the door to see his best friend standing there. He smiled, albeit nervously.

"Hey Joey!"

"Hey Yug! What's up?"

"Not much. Come on in."

"Got anything to eat? I haven't eaten since lunch!"

"Sure. Go ahead and raid the fridge. I'll be right back."

While Joey busied himself with the food in his fridge, Yugi went into the bathroom to have a conversation with the Pharaoh.

"What do I do now?" He whispered.

"Do whatever you normally would. I took care of everything."

"Everything?" He tested the word.

"Everything." Atem promised.

"Okay. I trust you." He said.

"I'll be here if you need me."

"Thanks." Atem nodded, then disappeared. Yugi waited a few moments more, psyching himself up before going out the door. Joey was standing in front of the microwave, impatiently waiting for his food to heat up. When it was ready, he sat down at the table and started eating. Yugi carefully sat down with him, trying to sit in a way that wouldn't make his diaper crinkle too loudly. But strangely, it didn't make a sound. Yugi was overwhelmed by his relief. The two of them talked about unimportant things until Joey was done. After doing the dishes, they went upstairs.

When Joey entered Yugi's room, a familiar smell caught his nose. It was the scent of baby powder. Yugi, being in his room most of the time, had become desensitized to it. But Joey smelled it clear as day. He just couldn't put his finger on what it was. However, he quickly forgot about it when the two of them started dueling on the floor. For a while they just talked about dueling and it seemed to pass the time. Around ten thirty, Yugi started getting tired.

"I think I'm going to head to bed." He said.

Joey yawned. "Good idea, Yug."

Yugi changed into a t-shirt and pair of loose fitting pajama bottoms in the bathroom. He was just grateful he hadn't used his diaper yet. The two of them wished each other goodnight before falling asleep.

As Yugi drifted into unconsciousness, his thumb snuck it's way into his mouth.

His visits to the nursery were becoming a special daily ritual, but today was even more special. Today was the first day ever that he had a Daddy to take care of him. Atem too was aware of this, and wanted to make it something unforgettable. It had been said that the wearer of the millennium puzzle would be granted a wish. Yugi had made a wish for friends. But, Atem had made a wish too. Last night he wished to be able to have a separate body when Yugi needed him so that he could care for him better. And that night, his wish was granted. Now, when Yugi woke up, he would get the surprise of a lifetime.

Joey's dream, meanwhile, was nothing nearly as sentimental, but was fun to him. He was at a buffet, eating as much as he wanted. As he wolfed down pasta, pizza, chicken, ham, and burgers by the dozen, he heard a new sound. The sound that came with a new bag of chips. But even after he opened it, the sound persisted. What was it? It wasn't until he swore he smelled fast food that he actually woke up. But even then he still heard the chips bag rustling. But where was it? He looked over at Yugi and was surprised to see him sucking his thumb. But he could also see Yugi smiling, and decided not to say anything. He got out from under his blanket and shuffled his way to the bathroom. When he finished he stumbled upon entering the room, banging into the dresser and unknowingly knocking over some of his duel monsters cards. He slunk back underneath the covers. Just as he was about to go to sleep, he heard the sound again. Yugi had turned over in his sleep, and a portion of his back was left uncovered by the blankets. There was something white sticking up from his pajama bottoms, but he couldn't tell what it was. He was just too exhausted, and quickly fell back to sleep.

Yugi woke up a few minutes before his alarm clock was scheduled to go off. He blushed when he realized he'd been sucking his thumb and immediately removed it in embarrassment, but was glad to see Joey was still asleep. He was about to sit up when he felt something strange. His eyes widened, and he pulled back the blankets to see that he had wet himself in his sleep. His face turned a shade of puce.

The alarm clock started blaring, and Yugi hastily pulled his pants up just as Joey jerked awake.

"Morning, Yug." He rasped.

"H-Hey Joey." He said, nervously.

"Everything okay, pal?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got a little scared by my alarm clock is all." He lied.

"Alright. I'm gonna go get ready."

"Sounds good. I'll be back in a little bit."

Yugi went to the bathroom and took off his sodden diaper. He disposed of it in a trash can hidden under the sink, that way Joey wouldn't see it when he came in. But now he was faced with another problem. How was he going to get to his diapers? He took a shower and put on regular underwear. Then when Joey wasn't in the room he would get his diaper and change in the closet. It was as good a plan as any.

After getting ready for school, Joey went back to Yugi's room. He had left his dueling deck on the dresser. Some of the cards had fallen off and were now under the bed. So Joey laid on his stomach, reaching blindly under the bed. Just as he reached one of his cards, his fingers brushed against something plastic. Curious, he moved to look under the bed with his eyes and pulled the plastic thing out.

It was a pack of diapers.

That's when everything clicked into place. The sounds he'd heard, the thumb sucking, and the distractions at school. It finally hit him that the smell he'd smelt the day before was baby powder.

Just then, Yugi walked in, saw him, and froze in his tracks.

"Got something you want to tell me, Yug?"


	7. Uncovered

**IMPORTANT Author's Note: Hey guys! So normally I wouldn't take the time to explain something here when I could do it in the story, but I feel like this needs to be said: Most of you (if not all of you) came to read this story because you read "accidents" first. In that story, there was a definitive father/son relationship between Seto and Mokuba, just as there is here between Yugi and Atem. It is important, however, to distinguish that the father/son relationship between Seto and Mokuba was an easier thing to fall into because it had been that way between them for years underneath it all. For Yugi and Atem, it will take longer to adjust to the roles and to** **build** **that type of trust and dependence. Okay? Okay! Now that that's out of the way, I hope you love this chapter! Please review!**

 **Dark Yugi: You'll get to find out now what happens next! I hope you like it!**

Yugi was completely frozen. This was the stuff of his worst nightmares. He couldn't move. He barely breathed. The look of horror on his face was stuck there. The only thing that changed were tears beginning to fill his eyes. But before he could react any further, the Pharaoh took over. He had made himself a guardian over Yugi and now was the time to act. Like any good father, he would protect his child. Yugi, grateful for the way out, ran into the inner sanctum of his mind and found a place to cry.

"Hey pharaoh." Said Joey absently.

He walked over to his friend and sat down next to him.

"You wanna fill me in here?" He continued.

Sighing, Atem began explaining what had gone on over the past few days. Joey seemed surprised a few times, but otherwise seemed to be taking it well. When he finished Joey was quiet. Yugi, still watching from the inside, was crying, but looking at his friend warily.

"You can understand why he's afraid." Said Atem. Joey nodded.

"If I was in his place I would be too. Can I talk to him?"

"You can try."

Atem set out to find Yugi in their mind, but it was more difficult than he thought. Although he could hear him crying perfectly well, it seemed to be coming from every direction. It took him a while, but eventually he found Yugi huddled up in a corner, tears running down his face. Atem knelt down to him and gave him a hug.

"It's alright." He soothed.

He looked around the hallway they were in and realized that the nursery wasn't far from there. So Atem acted quickly and ran inside, grabbed two things, and ran out. Going back to Yugi, he got down to his level and put a pacifier in his mouth before he could object. Then he handed him his beloved stuffed Kuriboh until he calmed down.

"Are you ready?" He asked. Yugi looked down, but nodded. "I'll be right here if you need me." He promised. Then, he let Yugi take control.

Yugi blinked. The room seemed much too bright for his liking. He looked over to see Joey looking at him, and blushed.

"Yug, you're my best friend, pal. If something's going on, you can tell me. I don't care if you want to wear diapers. As long as you're happy, that's what matters to me."

Yugi looked up at him, smiling slightly. "Really?"

"Of course!"

Yugi smiled. "Thanks, Joey."

"Anytime, pal."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Can you not tell anyone about this? I'm not ready for this to come out yet..."

"No problem. Your secret is safe with me." He promised. "And I never break a promise to a friend!"

Yugi smiled up at his friend.

Sensing Yugi needed a minute alone, he excused himself to the bathroom. Atem appeared and diapered his young charge. Now that the worst was behind him, Yugi cracked a smile. Atem smiled down at him reassuringly, and promised to be there after school so that they could have some much needed bonding time. After he was dressed again, he went downstairs to make breakfast. Joey, of course, was there instantly. The two of them ate together and talked about Yugi's new lifestyle. Joey had his questions and Yugi was ready to answer them. The more he talked about it, the more it brought out Joey's brotherly instincts. He put an arm around his friend and smiled.

"If you ever need me, Yug, I'll be there." He promised. Yugi grinned brightly.

"Thanks pal."

Together, they walked to school.

Yugi had to admit: now that Joey knew, it felt like some invisible burden had been lifted from his shoulders. At least now he would know that on days when he wanted to get home sooner it wasn't because he was ignoring him.

School went by a little quicker that day- or at least it seemed that way at first. But Yugi was still faced with another problem. Although things with Joey had turned out just fine, this was his first day at school wearing his diapers, and he was more than a little self conscious about it.

Eventually, however, his inevitable moment came.

He was in history class when he first felt it. The need to pee. This was a one answer problem. He could stay here and use his diaper, or he could go to the bathroom. But if he went to the bathroom, not only would he be wasting a perfectly good diaper, but If someone else was in there and he took it off, he might arouse suspicion. It was clear that there was only one choice he could make here. He put his hands on the sides of his desk and squeezed it tightly. In doing so he focused all the tension in his body into there, letting the rest of his body relax. Then, finally, he started wetting himself. He almost started sucking his thumb, but remembered where he was.

Thankfully, history was the last class of the day, but Yugi knew he had to get home quickly or he might get diaper rash. When his friends asked to hang out, he politely declined, saying he had a lot of chores to do while his grandpa was gone. He looked at Joey, who stealthily nodded, and went off on his merry way.

He ran back to the game shop and went upstairs. He threw his backpack on the floor and pulled his pack of diapers out from under the bed. Then, he laid down and let Atem change his diaper. When that was over, Yugi let his Daddy pick out his clothes for the first time. Atem found a white shirt and pair of shortalls to be perfect, so he helped Yugi change and then slipped his pacifier between his lips. He handed him his favorite toy, then knelt down to him.

"Ready for our day together?"

Yugi smiled and nodded.

To his complete shock and awe, Atem picked him up and settled him on his hip. Although he was shocked for a minute or two, he quickly wrapped his arms around his neck in a tight hug.

This was the best gift ever.


	8. Bond

**Author's Note: Pharaoh Atoms: I'm so happy you're loving the story this far! I hope I can keep doing you guys proud! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The two of them had planned this for the next time they had time off. Fortunately, that day ended up being today. They had agreed to have as little verbal communication as possible and to not look inside the other's mind, just to see how well they could really understand each other. Atem picked Yugi up and smiled at him.

Yugi took his pacifier out. "Ba ba?" He asked sweetly. Atem nodded and took him to the kitchen to fix him a bottle. He set him down on the floor while he started pouring the milk, leaving Yugi to his own devices- not exactly his best idea. Yugi was playing with his Kuriboh when he caught sight of something shining on the floor. Curious, he started crawling toward it, sucking his pacifier rhythmically every bit of the way. The closer he got, however, the more it seemed that the shiny object- whatever it was- had disappeared. He decided to crawl back around the coffee table to get back to the kitchen.

It was a mistake.

The shiny thing he had seen was a thumbtack, and it was waiting for him face up near the end of the coffee table. He didn't see it, considering that it blended so well into the carpet, and set his hand right on top of it, driving it into his palm. He instinctively yanked it away, but it was stuck. He looked at it for a second, shocked, before letting out a wail.

Atem, who had been waiting by the microwave, nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden sound, and ran into the living room to see Yugi sitting on the floor, crying. He knelt down to him and saw the thumbtack stuck in his hand. He took his hand.

"This is going to hurt for a minute." He said. Yugi watched, teary eyed. Atem counted to three, and then pulled it out. Yugi let out a heartbreaking cry, but felt better once it was gone. Atem went into a medicine cabinet and grabbed a bandaid, a bottle of antiseptic and a cotton ball before running back out to his child. He got the cotton ball soaked well, and then gently dabbed at the wound. Yugi tried to yank his hand away, but it was useless. Atem put the bandaid on just as the microwave went off.

He came back with the bottle and sat down on the couch before pulling a sniffling Yugi into his lap. Yugi leaned back in his arms, closed his eyes, and started to suck on the rubber nipple. Instantly he was calmer and relaxed until the bottle was empty. After that, he got off of Atem's lap and went back over to where his Kuriboh and Pacifier were laying on the carpet. Atem smiled at him and listened to him babble to himself. After washing the bottle in the sink and taking it to Yugi's room, he went back to hear an eerie silence. It didn't take long for him to get extremely suspicious. He looked and saw Yugi asleep on the floor, using Kuriboh as a pillow. Smiling, he picked him up and took him to his room, where he tucked him into bed for a nice nap.

Deciding that Yugi would be asleep for a while, Atem decided to do a little shopping. He found a few coloring books and crayons, along with some storybooks. He had a feeling that they would definitely bring them closer together. He got back a little less than half an hour later and found Yugi still asleep. Satisfied with his purchases, he set them on Yugi's dresser before going to watch TV in the living room. An hour passed by with no activity, until Atem could hear Yugi moving.

"Daddy?" He called, sitting up in bed, clutching his Kuriboh to his chest. Atem walked into the room and instantly Yugi calmed down. He sat down on the floor and watched as his Daddy pulled something off of the dresser and handed it to him. It was a duel monsters coloring book. Yugi giggled and clapped his hands happily before he started coloring in the book. While he was doing that, Atem checked his diaper to see if he needed a change. Sure enough, he was soaked.

"Come on," he said, "Let's get you changed." When he started to pick Yugi up to change him, Yugi struggled against his hold and started to whimper. He clearly wasn't done with his picture. "You can play when we're done." He said, voice gentle but firm.

"No!" Yugi whined, trying to get to his book.

"Yugi..." He said in a warning tone. Yugi knew what that tone meant, but he was so into his role that he didn't care.

"No!" He cried again. Atem sighed and picked him up while Yugi kicked his little legs as hard as he could. Atem pulled the chair out from Yugi's desk and sat it in a corner of the room before sitting Yugi down.

"You're in time out for five minutes." Atem said Clearly. Yugi, although miffed at being taken from his art, stayed for the full time, sucking his thumb. Atem came back. "Are you going to be a good boy now?"

"Yes, Daddy." He said remorsefully. Yugi gave his counterpart a hug, and then allowed himself to be changed. His mood shifted back to happy once he got back his coloring book. When dinner time rolled around, Atem carried Yugi to the table and fed him small bites of food. Yugi, like most babies and toddlers, got it all over himself. Since the food in question was chili, it was extra messy. But Atem cleaned him up and got him into fresh clothes. Yugi seemed genuinely happy, cooing and babbling to himself. When it got closer to his bedtime, Yugi crawled over to where Atem was sitting and pulled on his pant leg. Atem looked at him, and he pointed to the bed.

"Ready to go to bed?" He asked.

"Goo."

Atem got him changed into a night diaper, shirt, and socks before tucking him into bed and reading him a bedtime story. Yugi, exhausted from the day's events, fell asleep quickly, sucking on his pacifier. When the story was done and Yugi was fast asleep, Atem smiled, flicked off the light, and went back inside of the puzzle to get some rest himself, smiling at the bonding day he had shared with his son.


	9. Morning

**Author's Note: This is kind of a filler chapter since I'm suffering serious writers block right now. If there's anything you guys want to see happen, let me know!**

 **Thor 94: Of his own accord, yes. He has chosen to live as a Teen Baby (if you don't know what that is, look up adult babies. It's just the teen version.). He's still completely mentally competent. This is just how he chose to act and express himself. There is absolutely no sexual component involved in this, either. If that's what you were expecting or anticipating, this will most definitely disappoint you. I don't see the lifestyle as sexual (although I am aware some people live that way). I see this as a way for someone to express who they really are. That's what I've tried to show here. If you disagree, that's your right, and you may stop reading at any time.** **Despite all of what has been said above, I wish you well, and hope you have happy holidays and a very Merry Christmas.**

That day of bonding was one that neither father nor son would ever forget anytime soon. The night in the nursery just made it even better. They laughed and played together all night long. Yugi was exhilarated by it. It energized him like nothing else could. When the next morning came around, Yugi was disappointed to say the least. Yesterday had been so great, and he hadn't wanted it to end. Now that a new day had dawned, he had to put it behind him and once again lock part of himself away as he went to school. He sighed and set his pacifier on the dresser. It was certainly going to be a long day.

He dragged himself out of bed and shuffled groggily to the bathroom. He got his diaper changed, got in the shower, got a new diaper on, dressed, and then went to the kitchen to get himself some breakfast. He decided to drink his milk in a bottle this morning, just to feel that sense of security that came with using it. But by the time he finished, it was time to go to school. He was feeling a little down over it, and Atem could sense it. So he appeared in his spirit form so that only Yugi could see or hear him. Yugi looked at him curiously, wondering what he was up to. Atem walked next to him and gave him a pat on the butt. It was something nobody else would look twice at, but it reminded him that he had been changed with love and that was enough. Suddenly, his morning was looking up.

School was, well, school. It wasn't very fun or entertaining, but it was necessary. At least he got to see his friends. Joey, who now knew his secret, was the first to come up to him and ask how he was doing. For once, he could give an honest answer of bored, knowing that Joey would understand why. Everyone else showed up at their lunch table, and they started talking about normal, teenage things. Yugi sat there, listening quietly. Sometimes it amazed him how much he felt like a little kid listening to his friends grown up problems. He almost started sucking his thumb out of boredom, but Atem stopped him before he could do it. His mind started to wander, and before he knew it he was thinking about going home and spending time with his Daddy.

"Yugi?" Called a voice, pulling him from his thoughts. He jerked around.

"Huh? What?" He looked over at Tèa.

"You okay? You seem distracted."

"I'm fine. Just tired is all." He said. Technically he wasn't lying. He was tired. Just emotionally, not physically. Tèa was suspicious, but didn't say anything. Yugi could feel her staring at him, and it was making him uncomfortable to say the least. When the bell rang that signaled the end of lunch, he was relieved.

After school, Joey was gunning to go down to the pier where a few people decided to duel. It wasn't an official tournament or anything, but it was still a duel. Yugi told his friends he wanted to go home and grab a few extra cards, but said he'd meet them over there. Joey, knowing what he actually intended to do, nodded and promised not to start without him. Yugi walked home and went to get his diaper changed. After he was cleaned up, he checked to make sure he had his cards before heading down to the pier.

Confident as he was in dueling, he hated the stares he got from people. He was the world champion, sure, but he wasn't that impressive. He was still a normal person.

He paused. Okay, so maybe normal wasn't exactly the right word.

He just wasn't used to being famous. He didn't know how to handle it. People like Pegasus and Kaiba were used to fame and having lives in the spotlight. He wasn't like them. He was just a kid good at dueling. Plain and simple. He arrived at the pier and saw that the duels were in full swing. As promised, Joey was waiting near the entrance to the pier. Yugi looked out at the ocean and couldn't help thinking about the events that had played out the last time they were here together. When Joey had been brainwashed by Marik into dueling him. He shuttered just thinking about it. That was one of the toughest things he'd ever had to do, but it had made him so much stronger in the end. Not only that, but Marik ended up seeing the light when the insanity ended. Not only did he save the world from catastrophe, he also restored a man's sanity and reunited a man with his family.

How many people could say that?

He smiled at his friends before turning on his duel disk and loading up his deck. He smiled at Joey and gave him a nod before looking for an opponent to duel.

Before every duel, Yugi tended to say a little prayer. Every time it was different because every duel was different. Most of the time he just wanted to survive, and to do that he had to win. But this wasn't one of those duels. No one was trying to take over the world today, and that made him extremely grateful. Today his prayer was that his secret wouldn't be uncovered further, and that he could bring himself to just relax and have some fun. Unbeknownst to him, Atem was reciting the same prayer, and chose to not take over this time. He wanted to watch Yugi duel and see how much he'd learned.

He calmly faced his first opponent and got into the proper mindset of dueling. Then, with eyes fierce and his competition ready, he drew his first five cards and was prepared to duel- and win.

He laid his first card down on his duel disk, and the duel officially began.


	10. Weekend

**Author's Note: Ideas for new chapters are still welcome! Please review!**

For Yugi, winning duels wasn't quite as easy as it was for his Daddy, but he still had an easy time dueling. He won matches left and right, but being the king of games didn't necessarily mean that it was easy, it just meant he had skills. He kept an eye trained on Joey too, and eventually it ended up being the two of them facing off against one another for the win. In the end, Yugi ended up winning with a narrow lead of only one hundred life points. When their battle ended, it was getting close to sunset. Yugi parted ways from his friends and tiredly walked home.

When he finally got back home, he was exhausted. He flopped down on the bed tiredly, and was quiet as Atem changed him. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, forlornly wishing that he had taken a nap that day. He went to the kitchen to get something to eat, even though he wasn't that hungry, and ate his meal before going back to his room. He kicked his shoes off and climbed under the covers. He grabbed his pacifier from the nightstand, popped it into his mouth, and quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up it was to rays of sunlight coming through his bedroom window. He looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was five thirty in the morning. For a second he thought his alarm hadn't gone off and that he was late to get ready for school, but then he remembered that it was finally the weekend and he didn't have to get up yet. So he laid back down, happily sucking on his pacifier as he fell into a state of semi sleep. Atem, who had been awake for a while, changed Yugi while he was still in bed. He knew Yugi probably wouldn't realize his diaper was wet yet. In fact, it was getting to the point where he didn't notice until he was close to the point of leaking. While Yugi was still asleep, Atem put his old baby blanket on top of him, and handed him his stuffed Kuriboh toy. He smiled in his sleep. Satisfied, Atem decided to go to the kitchen and get breakfast started.

While Atem cooked, Yugi dreamed.

Yugi opened his eyes to the dim lighting of the nursery. He squirmed a little and noticed the squish of his diaper underneath him. It felt strange, but still felt right. He put his pacifier into his mouth and his other hand frantically searching for his stuffed animal. When he found it, he calmed considerably. He focused his eyes on the bars of the crib, and it had a soothing effect on him. However, although he was dreaming, part of him was still conscious. As he dreamed his ears attuned themselves to footsteps in the hall.

Daddy.

What was he doing? Yugi wondered as he watched the spinning mobile above him. A lamb circled by, then a bird. then a bear, and a puppy. All set off by stars floating in the middle. It was nice, he decided. Soothing. He laid there a few minutes, enjoying himself. He could see something at the end of the crib. He crawled over to it and pressed the button, and watched as it lit up and played music. He giggled to himself and cuddled his toy for a few minutes before he heard a soft voice urging him to wake up.

Yugi opened his eyes to see Atem standing over him. He smiled sleepily and reached up to him. Atem checked his diaper to make sure he was dry, and then took him out to the kitchen. Yugi had to admit, it smelled good. Yugi was sat down at the table and had a plate of food placed in front of him. The morning sun got right in his line of sight, and he shut his eyes at the onslaught of bright light. He looked down and started trying to eat, but was bothered by the light. He got up to move his chair, but there wasn't a place that wasn't a place where the light didn't shine.

Atem sensed his irritation and put a hand on his shoulder, and positioned himself so as to block the light. Yugi smiled at him, and started eating. Atem stood there until he finished, and then moved to wash the dishes while Yugi sat quietly in his chair, unsure of what to do now. He wasn't sure if he should go out or stay home for the day. He wanted to stay home and have another bonding day, but he also knew he couldn't do it often without making his friends think he was up to something. He thought about it for a few minutes, unconsciously sucking his thumb. When Atem looked over at him, he smiled. When the dishes were done, he went over to Yugi.

"Still unsure of what to do now?" he asked.

Yugi nodded. "I don't know."

Atem took him by the hand and led him back to his room for a change. Yugi often started to suck his thumb when his diaper was changed. Atem doubted that he knew it happened, but he found it endearing. It was this simple act of love that made Yugi decide to take another day for himself and his Daddy.

He got dressed in his favorite outfit and got out all his toys to play with. He watched morning cartoons and played with his stuffed animals. Atem put on a movie for him in the afternoon, and Yugi ended up falling asleep to it. Atem stayed up and watched over him. Roughly an hour into his nap, the doorbell rang. Atem, not wanting to wake him, went to get the door himself.

There stood Tèa, smiling at him.

"Hey Atem. I just wanted to see if you and Yugi wanted to hang out."

"Thank you, Tèa, but he- we have some things to do today."

"Oh. Okay." But before she turned to leave she caught sight of something that almost made her jaw hit the floor.

Yugi had come around the corner in his full attire, rubbing his eyes and freezing at the sight of her.


	11. Caught

The first emotion that Tèa could identify was shock. Of all of the possibilities that she could have guessed being behind that door, this was not one of them. For a moment, all he could do was stare, perplexed at the scene before her.

Her eyes caught the look on Yugi's face as he stood there staring at her. It was absolutely dreadful. It was terror, innocence, pleading, pain and just absolute misery. It made her feel so guilty, even though she knew that there was nothing she could do to stop what he was seeing. Atem saw the changes in Tèa's expression and looked over his own shoulder to see exactly what she did. The expression on his face was one of horror. Even Joey hadn't seen that much! Yugi couldn't get past the look on Tèa's face, so he did the only thing he could think to do. He ran. She looked at Atem who was staring after his son with an expression of worry, guilt, and pity.

The second emotion that he could comprehend was confusion. Why all the secrecy? The four of them were best friends. Why keep this from them? The answer presented itself almost immediately: acting a certain way was one thing, but trying to make it a reality with material possessions was something different entirely. She supposed that Yugi didn't want to be seen differently for his choices. Tèa figured that if the roles had been reversed, she would have wanted the same.

Next, there was an understanding. It wasn't her job to judge this situation. As long as her friend was happy, she could be too.

Now Tèa wasn't staring at Yugi over what he thought she was. She wasn't staring at his outfit, she was staring at the fact that he and Atem were in separate bodies, which had never been seen before by anyone other than the two of them. But of course Atem had forgotten that simple fact in trying to get Tèa to leave. But now he had to deal with this. He almost sighed, and opened the door to let her inside. She sat down on the couch and looked up at him expectantly, waiting for a reasonable answer to what was going on. Atem closed the door and sat with her.

"You're in separate bodies..." She whispered.

Atem blinked, having forgotten that she didn't know about that.

"Yes. We are."

"How?"

"I received a wish from the puzzle and was able to partly have my own body."

"Partly?"

"I set conditions on when I could have the body."

"Okay then. Is Yugi okay?"

Atem winced. Truth be told, he wasn't sure.

Tèa saw the uncertainty in his face and stood up.

"Maybe I should go find him."

"No," Atem said quickly. "I'll go. I need to talk to him."

She sat down reluctantly. "Alright."

"I'll be back as soon as I can."

Tèa nodded, and Atem went to Yugi's room. The door was shut and locked. Atem pressed his ear to the door and could hear him crying inside. Sighing, Atem transformed into his spirit form to walk through the door before becoming tangible again. He walked over to Yugi who was sitting on the floor, head between his knees and crying. Atem sat next to him and wrapped his arms around him tightly. He cried into his counterparts shoulder as his Daddy hushed him quietly. It took a while, but eventually Yugi calmed down. He looked up at his daddy worriedly.

"Now what?" He asked, sniffling. Atem rubbed circles on his back, trying to keep him calm.

"There's nothing else we can do except tell her."

"You saw the look on her face, I don't think she wants to know."

"She wasn't looking at you." Said Atem. Yugi looked up at him, eyes full of confusion. He continued on. "She was staring at us. We were in separate bodies, remember? She'd never seen that before."

Yugi relaxed a little at that. "So she wasn't looking at me?" He asked, looking for reassurance.

"No. Not at all." Atem affirmed. Yugi seemed relieved. He was quiet for a minute or two.

"Are you ready to tell her?" Atem asked after a while. Yugi blushed slightly.

"No. If I had the choice I wouldn't tell anybody."

"I know. But you have to face this. So that you can move on."

"You're right. Should I change first?" He said, looking down at himself.

"Would you feel more comfortable if you did?"

"I think so."

"Then go right ahead. I'll go talk to Tèa until you're done."

"Thanks."

"Of course."

Silence blanketed the house. Tèa felt the urge to go and see what was going on, but stopped it. She could picture what was happening fairly easily. Yugi was likely very calm- possibly asleep. He was probably being changed into some more comfortable clothes. Idly, she wondered what would happen now. She got her answer when Atem came around the corner.

"Is he okay?" Asked Tèa.

"Yes, he's fine. He'll be out in a few minutes."

"Alright." Said Tèa absently.

A few minutes went by, and Tèa grew anxious. But she was nowhere near as worried as Yugi, who was struggling to get dressed into normal clothes. He couldn't stop worrying over what was going to happen now. He knew that Tèa was a loyal friend and knew she wouldn't abandon him, but he didn't want her to look at him any differently than she did now. That was his greatest fear. He was still a normal kid underneath it all, he just made some unusual lifestyle choices. He hoped and prayed with all his might that she would see it that way. Gathering up every scrap of courage he possessed, he finished buckling his belt and looked at himself in the mirror. The red had faded from his face and he looked relatively normal. He took a deep breath, went to the door, unlocked it, and opened it up.

It was now or never.


	12. Explained

**Author's Note: Dark Yugi: I certainly respect your idea, but the truth is I'm just awful with OC's other than newborn babies! Sorry . But thanks anyways!**

The walk from his room to the living room seemed to be the shortest one in history for Yugi Moto. He grew more nervous with every step he took. He knew Tèa would never hurt him intentionally, but A shadowy version of himself was constantly reminding him that now she had the power to ruin him, and he couldn't do a thing about it. He rounded the corner and saw Tèa sitting on the couch next to his Daddy. She smiled at him, relaxed and serene, hoping to get him to loosen up, but he was still tense. Atem, sensing their need for some time alone, leapt back inside the millennium puzzle, but kept a close eye on them in case he was needed.

For a minute Yugi didn't know what else to do other than to sit down.

"Hey." Tèa said quietly.

"Hey."

"Yugi, I'm so s-"

"Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. It was my fault."

"That's not true." She countered.

"I was careless. That's all there is to it. I should have been more careful if I wanted to keep my secret."

"Speaking of secrets, what's up with you and Atem?"

Yugi blushed. "It's kind of a long story."

"I've got time. But if you don't want to explain it I understand."

So Yugi started to tell the tale of how it all unfolded. Tèa seemed surprised by their relationship. To her credit, she stayed quiet the entire time. When he finished she was staring at him in a way that made him uncomfortable. He fidgeted in his seat, waiting for some type of response. She seemed to be thinking about something, so he stayed quiet until she spoke again.

"So I guess this is why you were spacing out in school this week?"

He nodded. She cracked a smile. "It's okay. I would probably have been distracted too."

"So you're okay with this?" He asked, hope beginning to break through his fear.

"Sure. If it makes you happy and doesn't hurt anyone I think it's great." She said sincerely.

Yugi smiled. "Joey said the same thing."

"Joey knew about this?!"

"...Yeah."

"When?"

"A couple days ago." He told her the story of their sleepover and his accidental discovery.

"I can't believe he went that long without telling anyone..."

"Because he knew I didn't want anyone to know. He promised he wouldn't tell, and you know Joey- he never breaks a promise to a friend."

Tèa smiled. "That's Joey, alright."

"Um, Tèa?"

"Yeah?"

"Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure. Anything."

"Can you keep this a secret?"

"Of course, Yugi. Don't worry about a thing. Your secret is safe with me."

Yugi smiled, a true, genuine smile. "Thanks, Tèa."

"Anytime."

For a few minutes there was a comfortable silence blanketing the room until Tèa spoke up again.

"I came over because I wanted to see if you wanted to hang out today. Tristan and Joey are both visiting Serenity so that left me with nothing to do. But if you're busy I totally understand." She said, smiling.

"Well, Atem and I were going to stay home today, but if you want you could stay here and hang out with us." He replied, blushing. Tèa smiled.

"Thanks Yugi, but you don't have to do that if you feel uncomfortable. I'll be fine by myself for a day. I can go to the arcade or something for the day."

"No Tèa. It's okay. You can stay here with us. Grandpa comes back in a week and when he does I'll have to hide all this again. I might as well have as much fun as I can while I still have a chance."

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." He said, sounding far more confident than he was.

"Well... Okay. But just for a little while."

He smiled, and then watched as Atem came back out from inside of the millennium puzzle. Having heard everything, he already knew that Yugi had found an ally in Tèa and smiled gratefully at her. Then, he led Yugi back to his bedroom to get him changed. Tèa wasn't sure what to do, so she stayed there for a minute, swaying from side to side. She heard the door close and waited until it opened again to go inside.

There were toys scattered all around the room. Most of them were on the floor, but a few were haphazardly thrown onto the bed. Tèa was surprised at how normal it seemed. She had never seen Yugi as someone who needed to be taken care of. He had always been the one to take care of others. He had always been so independent. Now he sat on the bed, playing with a few of the toys in the room while the sound of cartoons playing on the TV made ambient background noise. Tèa could now see the innocence that was kept underneath his tougher-than-he-looks exterior. It had existed before, but only in his eyes. But now it overtook his entire body. It was astonishing to her.

At first she stayed back to watch Yugi and Atem interact. It was strange for her to think of them as father and son rather than just friends, but the more she saw of them in these roles, the more she understood it and could appreciate the natural bond between them. Soon she found herself wanting to get in on the fun. She shoved aside her pride and started playing with her friend. She had thought that it was going to be weird at first, considering that she'd known Yugi all her life. Treating him like a baby seemed taboo. But the more she played with him, the more she understood: this wasn't some sort of act that could be turned on or off. This was who he was on the inside now finally being released. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at him.

She was so incredibly proud to have such an amazing friend. Yugi, who was smiling at her, was thinking the same thing.


	13. Musings

**Author's Note: Dark Yugi: Thanks! I hope you love this chapter!**

There was so much that Yugi loved about being a baby. The care, attention, and clear affection were certainly factors, but his most favorite part of babyhood was learning. Babies knew the least coming into the world. Every day they learned something knew. Getting to experience that all over again was a thrill.

For a long time Tèa stayed with Yugi and Atem, even staying for dinner. She played with Yugi, surprised at how much fun she was having with him. But the night was quickly passing her by, and she knew she had to go soon. She decided to leave around seven that night, knowing that her parents might want her home earlier. Both Yugi and Atem gave her a warm thanks before she left. She promised to see them at school on Monday, before walking out the door. As Atem helped Yugi get to bed that night, they were surprisingly quiet.

"Something on your mind, Yugi?" Asked Atem, changing him.

Yugi looked up and smiled. "We share a mind. You know exactly what I'm thinking."

"About Tèa?"

"That's right."

"You're not worried, are you?"

"About...?"

"About her telling someone?"

"No, no, nothing like that."

"Then tell me what it is that's bothering you."

He shifted into a sitting position, now completely changed.

"I just wonder how many more people will find out about this. It's not staying a secret like I hoped it would."

"Secrets are hard to keep from friends." He said.

"That's exactly my point."

Atem waited for him to continue.

"I don't want this to come out to all of my friends."

"I understand that, but..."

"But what?"

"But life may be preparing to do exactly that."

Yugi suddenly remembered Kaiba telling Atem that he was ridiculously dramatic. For a fleeting moment, he agreed, even though he knew in his heart that the pharaoh was right. He sighed.

"I know that. I just... I'm not ready. I'm scared of that. Not all of my friends are as open minded as Joey and Tèa." He said, thinking mainly of Kaiba, but also of all of his enemies.

It took Atem a minute to try and formulate a response to that. "You can't spend your life worrying over who will know and who won't. Leave it in the hands of fate for now. Things will work themselves out. I promise." He said, reassuringly. Yugi smiled at him.

"I guess you're right." He said, moving to lay down on his bed.

Atem went over to him and tucked him into bed. Yugi suddenly grew sleepy and curled up under the covers.

"Sleep." Said Atem softly.

"Story first?" Asked Yugi, surprising Atem.

"Alright. What do you want to hear?" He asked.

"Something different."

Atem was quiet, and then started talking.

"Once upon a time, there was a small kingdom in a faraway land. In a big castle was a beautiful princess. She was pretty, funny, and very smart. But sometimes she saw or heard things that other people couldn't. Scared of having their reputation in jeopardy, the King and Queen locked the princess away in a tower in the Woods. One day, a lost knight found the princess' tower as he wandered through the forest. He met the princess and they quickly fell in love. They decided to run away together. Before they could, a monster came and tore through the woods. The knight sent the princess back to the tower and battled him himself. When he won, he and the princess went back to her kingdom, where they threw a big celebration in honor of her return. The knight and princess were soon married, and took over as the new king and queen of the land. They even had a baby of their own together- A little prince. And they lived happily ever after. The end."

Unbeknownst to Yugi, Atem was telling the story of his own mother.

Yugi smiled in silent gratitude, stuck his pacifier in his mouth, and fell asleep.

Although Atem was happy that Yugi was asleep, he couldn't bring himself to do the same. Yugi's fear had sparked unrest in him. How far would this go? He wondered. Who would know of this, and how were the two of them going to handle it when the next person found out? He had a definite feeling that Tèa would not be the last person to find out about this. But what could he do? There was only so much he could handle at a time, and he was already pushing himself further than he had before. But, he supposed that's what fatherhood did. It forced him to reevaluate his life and reach higher than before. He was more than just the king of games now. He was a parent. And that job in itself was also the greatest title he'd ever been given.

He retreated inside of the millennium puzzle and began wandering the corridors of their shared mind, much like he had that first night- the night when everything changed. He peeked into the nursery once or twice, just to be sure that Yugi was alright. He was perfectly fine by himself, and his Daddy was relieved at that. So Atem walked down a different corridor. It was dark and soothing. He took that corridor back to his own room. It was fairly barren, and only contained his bed. He got dressed in his own pajamas and laid down in bed, questions swirling around in his head. But he knew he had to empty his mind to get to sleep. So he swept his worries under an imaginary rug and shut his eyes, focusing on the color black to try and soothe himself. Before he knew it, he fell asleep, dreaming of a perfect world where his son could be who he was without feeling ashamed, and he could give him the constant care he deserved. He smiled, a tiny, unconscious smile as he finally got to enjoy the world of his own perfect fantasies.


	14. Sunday

**Author's Note: just so you guys know, I will be updating on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

When Yugi and Atem woke up the next day, it was a bright and sunny Sunday morning. Yugi rubbed his eyes tiredly as Atem began the process of changing him. When that was done, Yugi stayed in his room and played while Atem started making breakfast. He yawned continually, wishing that he could go back to sleep, but knowing that his body wouldn't let that happen. So he kept his Kuriboh and Dark Magician close at hand while he waited to eat. Atem came to get him and sat him down at the table to feed him some scrambled eggs.

Yugi obediently ate his breakfast and drank a glass of orange juice. When he was done, Atem cleaned up the kitchen and he got ready to go take a shower. He was about to turn on the shower when he noticed the bathtub right next to it. It seemed to call to him, telling him to get in there and have some fun. So he heeded the call and started to fill the tub. He had to carefully monitor the water for temperature and adjusted the knobs accordingly. He looked under the sink and saw that there was indeed a bottle of bubble bath in there, so he poured a cap full in and watched the bubbles begin to pile up. Slowly he stripped down to his diaper and then took it off to get inside. The water was perfectly warmed, and the bubbles made him feel perky. He washed himself up, but had a little fun and splashed around too. There was a duck sitting on one corner of the tub, and he took it, squeezed it under the water, then brought it to the surface to squirt the water out, giggling quietly to himself. Atem  
Made his way to the bathroom and was pleased to see Yugi having so much fun. He sat a safe distance away so he wouldn't get splashed, and then watched him play. When the water got cold, Yugi started to pout. He warmed it with spurts of hot water from the faucet. When it got to the point where he couldn't fill it more without overflowing the tub, he started draining the tub. Atem helped him out of the bathtub, dried him off, and then put him in a fresh diaper. Yugi just sucked his thumb happily. When it was over, Yugi smiled.

For a while, Yugi played on the floor, happy as could be. He played out a storyline of the dark magician being at war with Marshmellon. Marshmellon having the ability to not be destroyed in battle was presenting a problem. As he played, he started to squirm uncomfortably in his seat. He needed to go to the bathroom- and not in the way that he could use his diaper. He started to get up but was brought back down by cramps that rocked his body. This was a dilemma he was not prepared for. If he moved he would go, and if he didn't move he would go. There was no way he could win here. His eyes welled up with tears of frustration and he put his hands over his eyes. There was nothing he could do. He wished he had been more prepared for something like this to happen, but he knew this was inevitable. So he decided to tough it out. He pushed his stuffed animals to his chest as hard as he could, trying to relax, but he couldn't bring himself to. It was just like in that dream he'd had days before.

Atem came in and saw his distress. He was about to go and see what was wrong when he saw the look on Yugi's face. He flashed back to the dream earlier in the week, and waited calmly. He knew that he was going to be needed. Yugi's face was bright red, and he looked to be more embarrassed than Atem had ever seen him. Yugi stuck his thumb in his mouth and started sucking, waiting for it to begin. Quicker than he thought, it was over. Yugi cried instinctively, and Atem was quick to take him into his arms to get changed. The clean up wasn't fun at all, and it smelled just awful, but Atem said nothing. He was just glad that the first time this happened was over. Now they didn't have to stress anymore. It took Yugi a long time to feel clean again, but once he was all changed, he felt much better. He gave Atem a big hug and then went back to playing on the floor. Yugi stayed quiet for a long time, still occupied with his toys, and was startled when Atem picked him up to take him to the dining room table for dinner.

They ate together in a comfortable silence. When dinner was over Yugi went back to playing while Atem cleaned the room a little. It hadn't necessarily been a busy day, but it was a long one. He was tired- not in a physical sense, but in the emotional one. He finished his cleaning and went to the bedroom, where Yugi's eyes were drooping shut after a long day of playing. Atem smiled and helped him into his pajamas. Yugi had his Kuriboh clutched to his chest as they went through the final diaper change of the night. When that was done, Atem tucked Yugi into bed and read him a story.

"Goodnight, Yugi." He said quietly.

Yugi yawned, his eyes starting to close. "Night Daddy." He grabbed his pacifier from the nightstand and popped it into his mouth. Atem smiled, then went over to the wall to turn off the lights. The room was encased in a comfortable darkness. Atem could just barely see Yugi's outline through the blackness. He smiled at the sleeping form of his son, and watched him for a long time until he himself got tired and decided to turn in for the night. Yawning, Atem fell into a happy sleep.


	15. Secret

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas Eve, all! I hope it's a good one!**

That night brought Yugi dreams of his biggest hopes and greatest fears in equal measure. It often fluctuated between them, but there came a point where the bad ideas far outweighed the good, and Yugi bolted up in bed awake. Sweat poured down his face and he took gasping breaths. His pacifier had fallen out of his mouth, so his hand searched the bed blindly for it. He found it and put it in his mouth to suck on it in hopes of calming down. The dark room seemed to have shadows coming from every which way, and it didn't take much for Yugi to feel scared. He felt himself starting to wet his diaper, and started to cry. Meanwhile, Atem, who was asleep inside of the millennium puzzle, suddenly had an instinct trigger in his sleep. He sat up in bed and decided to check on Yugi, only to see him crying. The millennium puzzle glowed and suddenly Atem was standing in front of his counterpart. He fumbled over to the wall, looking for the light switch. When he turned it on, he saw Yugi sobbing loudly. He went over to the bed and sat down in front of him.

"Yugi? What is it?" He asked quietly.

Daddy..." Came the sobbed whisper.

"What is it?" Atem pressed again.

"I had a bad dream." He said it meekly, afraid of his father's reaction. Atem's fear dissipated at once. This was something he could handle.

"What was your dream about?" His tone was comforting and indulgent. Yugi was still struggling to even out his breathing, but still flinched at the question. A few more tears leaked from his eyes. Atem quickly changed the subject.

"Try thinking of happy things." He suggested. Yugi considered it for a moment and nodded, hugging his Kuriboh and sucking harder on his pacifier, clearly frightened. His protective side took over and he scooted Yugi closer to him, running his fingers through his hair.

"Do you want your bottle?" He asked, hoping to calm him down further. Yugi nodded silently in relief. Atem set him on the kitchen counter and fixed him a bottle of warm milk. He was still crying, but not as steadily. He handed his son the bottle and then decided to do a diaper check when they reached the bedroom. Sure enough, he was soaked. He finished changing his son just as Yugi finished his bottle. He happily stuck his pacifier back into his mouth and began to suck as Daddy rocked him slowly in his arms. Very quickly, he had fallen back asleep. After a little while longer he put Yugi back into his bed before heading off to his own bed for some well deserved sleep.

The morning came far too quickly for both of their likings. It was Monday- the worst day of the week for both father and son. The freedom that came with the weekend was now over, and the new school week had to begin. When his alarm went off Yugi smacked it with undisguised Malice. The weekend was over, and that made him sad. Besides that, with a new week came a new set of problems. His Grandpa would be home by the end of this week. How was he about to explain all of this? If he couldn't keep this from his friends whom he saw at school and when they hung out, he certainly couldn't keep it from his only family and someone he lived with. And then he thought about Tristan, the only one of his friends who didn't know about his secret life. How was he going to break it to him? He felt obliged to let him know, that way no one was left out. He mulled over all of these thoughts while he was in the shower. When he finished, he let Atem change him into a new diaper before going downstairs and having breakfast.

He ate quietly, still somewhat perturbed with not only the new problems of the week, but with his dreams of the night before. He prayed and prayed that his nightmares were false and that everything would be okay. He walked out the door and went to school.

The school day was pretty much normal. He sat in class, did his work, and pretty much kept to himself the entire day. At lunch he and his friends all sat together. Now that most of their group was in on everything that was happening, things between them all had gone back to the way they were before, and for that, Yugi was extremely grateful. He chose then to tell Tristan, who had figured out that something was up by that point in the game. Unlike Joey and Tèa, however, he was extremely relaxed about the matter. Yugi felt relieved.

Meanwhile from across the room, Seto Kaiba sat watching Yugi Moto and his friends. Although he had been doing work on his laptop for most of lunch, he had ended up taking a break just in time to see Yugi's face turn bright red. Intrigued, he continued watching him and his friends. Something was definitely going on. He could tell by their body language. All of them were leaning in close and whispering, clearly saying something to one another that wasn't meant for other people to hear. Although he was a very busy man who had much to do, he wasn't above a little snooping if it meant turning things around in his favor. He'd done it when he wanted to find out the secrets of the Winged Dragon of Ra, and he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty and do it again. He was a competitor first and foremost. Anything he could use against his competition, good and bad, would certainly be useful later in the game.

So Yugi Moto, The King Of Games had a secret, did he? Well Seto Kaiba was going to find out what that secret was- no matter what the cost.


	16. Tracked

**Author's Note: sorry guys! This chapter got mixed up with another one. This one takes place before "up"**.

When school was over, Seto Kaiba headed over to Kaiba Corp for a series of boring meetings. While he certainly kept his head in the game when it came to his company, his mind occasionally wandered to Yugi's secret. What was it? He wondered. He went back to his office and shuffled some papers when a brilliant idea crossed his mind. Yugi almost never took off his duel disk. He could use it to track his movements in hopes of discovering his secret. Satisfied with himself, Kaiba gave a celebratory smirk and then got back to work on his laptop.

Meanwhile, Yugi Moto walked back to the Kame Game Shop and decided that he!d better get some of his chores done since he'd pretty much been neglecting them all week. He hurried through his chores and then was finally able to kick his shoes off and relax. So he decided to take a bubble bath. He played in the bubbles for a long time, giggling and laughing to himself. Atem came out of the puzzle to watch over him, smiling as he played. Atem grinned and watched him as he played with his bath toys. He noticed how happy Yugi seemed to be. And it made him feel amazing.

Yugi himself was finally able to let go of his cares over real life and could calm down. Now that Tristan knew his secret, the pressure he had been under by his own making had disappeared. His friends all knew and accepted him anyway, and that was an incredible weight off of his shoulders. He played in the bathtub until he got bored, and then decided to get out. He drained the tub and cleaned up before he was changed into a fresh diaper. But now that Atem was looking at it, he seemed to be almost out. After he changed Yugi he took over their body and decided to take a trip to the store to buy another pack of diapers. He had forgotten that he was wearing his duel disk.

It was now around six o'clock in the evening. Seto Kaiba had just gotten home from work and was in his home office working on a plan for how to win over a smaller company in a hostile buy out when his laptop beeped. Curious, he switched between tabs and saw that Yugi was on the move. He sat there and watched the blinking dot move down the street, waiting for it to go somewhere specific. His wish was granted when, just a few minutes later, he went into a small store. Kaiba got the name of the establishment and with little practiced effort, hacked his way into the security cameras in the store. It took him a minute to find Yugi, but when he did, he zoomed in with the camera. He was going down the hygiene aisle, and for a minute Kaiba kicked himself for thinking that this was anything important. He was probably just picking up some soap or toothpaste. Nothing important.

But when he looked again when Yugi stopped, he was happily proven wrong.

It took him a minute to zoom in on what he was holding, but when he did he froze.

A package of diapers? What would the king of games want with that? He watched as Yugi wandered to a different section of the store, where they kept the things babies loved. He went there a few minutes before going to pay for his purchase. Kaiba kept an eye on him from the shelf to the cash register. When he got outside, Kaiba switched back to the duel disk tracking chip. He was expecting him to take it to a charity, an old folks home, or something like that, but no. He just went straight to the game shop. Kaiba kept the tracking chip on in case he tried to leave again, but he never did.

Kaiba leaned back in his chair, hands folded as he thought over what this could mean. His first thought was the most logical one- they were probably for his grandfather. But then he remembered overhearing Yugi and his friends talking about his grandfather going on some big archeological dig for a couple weeks. His next idea was that maybe he picked them up for someone else and they would be coming by to get them, but he never went to answer the door. That left one logical explanation, and Kaiba had absolutely no idea what to make of it.

He was a business man first and foremost, so his first instinct was to lay everything out on the table to sort through. Okay, so if he was keeping it to himself, what did that mean? That he had a bladder control problem? Even if he did, that didn't explain him looking at baby stuff. It crossed his mind that maybe he was looking at that stuff for somebody else, but somehow Seto found that highly unlikely. Who the heck did Yugi know that could be pregnant? That left one other option left- that he was looking to buy those things for himself.

That was ridiculous, Seto argued to himself. Why would he- or anyone for that matter- want those things for themselves. It was nonsense. There had to be something else going on. Something he wasn't seeing. He shook his head to try and clear it and get back to work, but his mind kept circling back to that last idea, that they were all for him. As Seto laid in bed that night, the idea kept circling round in his mind. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying and failing to get to sleep that night. When he finally admitted that there was a possibility that he was right, he was able to go to sleep. But still the question remained, now that he had all of this new information, what was he going to do with it? And could it crush his rival once and for all?


	17. Up

**Author's Note: Please read the last chapter! It got mixed up with this one! So sorry! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

The next day went on much like the day before had. Much to his dismay, Atem woke up very early the next morning. He peered into his son's room and was happy to see him fast asleep. He went into the living room and himself a cup of tea and watched the sun turn the sky from a rosy pink to a baby blue. He sighed to himself. After his tea he went back to his room to shower and dress for the day. Then he went into the kitchen and started making breakfast for his son and himself. As he finished plating the scrambled eggs, he turned off the stove burner and went to wake up his son.

It was five-thirty in the morning, and Atem quietly opened the door and tiptoed in. He walked over to the bed and gently shook his son's shoulder.

"Yugi. It's time to get up."

Yugi moaned behind his pacifier. "No."

"I know, but breakfast is ready." Yugi pouted but didn't say anything. Atem picked up his son, settling him into his chair in the kitchen. He fed him while he fed himself, and then cleaned up while Yugi got out his clothes for School. After that Atem ran a bath for his son and bathed him while he played with bath toys. After helping his son dress, gathered his things, and then they both parted ways to go to school. He got to school like always and paid attention in class. But during school, he felt the strangest sensation. Like he was being watched. But every time he turned around, no one was looking at him. So he continued on with his day. He sat with his friends at lunch. The day was normal. Seto still stole a few glances at Yugi, unable to look at him the same way after what he had seen lost. He had no idea what to do now. More so because he couldn't prove his theory without evidence. So for now he would have to leave things as they were. He frowned. He absolutely hated that.

Yugi, meanwhile, was busy planning his last few days of freedom before his grandpa came home. He loved living his life as he had the past week and two days, and didn't want it to end, but he knew that he had to behave as normally as possible if he wanted to keep his secret. Ergo he had to sweep it all under the rug. When he got home from school he dropped his backpack on the floor and went to his bedroom so that Atem could change him. When he was changed, he started playing on the floor while Daddy went and made him a bottle. As he waited for the bottle to heat up, he stood by the microwave, deep in thought.

He too had felt the eyes of someone watching them as well. But unlike Yugi, he was able to see where it had come from. Seto Kaiba had been staring at them several times throughout the day. Atem got the feeling that he knew something was going on between them, and that made him nervous. Not for himself, but for Yugi. The boy was extremely fragile right now and didn't need anything more to worry about.

Atem grabbed the bottle and headed back upstairs. Yugi saw him coming and gave him a big smile. Atem sat on the bed and pulled Yugi into his lap to feed him. Yugi was very relaxed in his arms, and for that Atem smiled. He really needed to relax more. No sooner had he thought the words when Yugi fell asleep in his lap. He was very careful when picking him up, and gently laid him on the bed. He tucked him into bed, slipped his pacifier between his lips, and gave him his favorite stuffed Kuriboh, which he cuddled happily.

About two hours into his nap, Atem decided to wake him up so that he wouldn't put up a fight at bedtime tonight. He gently shook his shoulder.

"Yugi? It's time to wake up."

Yugi whimpered. "No." It was a pitiful sound that made Atem's heart clinch in his chest.

"Yes. Come on, it's time to get up."

"I don't wanna, Daddy." He snuggled back into bed. He had woken up far too early this morning and he wanted to sleep. Atem looked at him with pity. Guilt came with the challenge of parenthood, but he always knew what was best for his child.

"I know, but it's time to get changed." He picked him up as he locked his arms around his neck. Yugi absently sucked on his pacifier as he changed him. He stretched out on the floor until he picked him up.

"How about we get ready for dinner?" Atem asked. Yugi nodded, and Atem took him to the kitchen. They ate dinner together at the table before heading back to their bedroom for the evening. Yugi played with his toys and colored in his coloring book until it was well into the evening. He was watching cartoons on the TV when he started to feel very sleepy. Atem sensed this and decided it was about time to start getting him ready for bed. He changed his diaper before he helped him into his pajamas. He made sure Yugi brushed his teeth before he got into bed. Yugi asked him for a story, but when Atem started to protest that it was too late for one, he saw the beginnings of a tantrum starting to brew underneath the surface. With a sigh of defeat, he started yelling Yugi about some of his adventures as Pharaoh. Before he knew it, Yugi was fast asleep. Sighing happily, Atem went inside the millennium puzzle to start preparing for bed himself. As he crawled under the covers that night, he couldn't help but wonder what challenge they would have to face next, and where- or more likely who- it would come from.


	18. Caged In

**IIMPORTANT Author's Note: Hey guys! So Most of you read chapter 16 yesterday. Well, it was the wrong chapter. You read chapter 17. But the real 16 is up now. So go read!**

Those last few days of freedom seemed to fly by at an unprecedented rate. Yugi grew more anxious with every day that passed. He wasn't ready for this to be over. Atem tried to comfort him about it, but it was a fruitless endeavor. The night before was the hardest, though. Putting all of his things away made him feel terrible. It was like he was hiding a piece of himself. But he couldn't bear to have himself found out, and his fear of a bad reaction outweighed any discomfort he may have otherwise had about it. He sighed quietly.

Atem appeared before him. "What's wrong?" He asked. Yugi looked at the drawer where his things were hidden. Atem understood what he meant without him speaking, but Yugi said something anyways.

"I'm gonna miss this." He said quietly.

"So will I. But it won't be forever. There will be times when he's gone and your true personality will be able to shine through."

"I guess so..." He whispered.

Atem went over and hugged him. "Don't worry. It will all work out in the end."

He helped Yugi into bed and tucked him in. He sat in a chair next to the bed and told him a story. No matter how sleepy he was, he couldn't bring himself to go to sleep. If he went to sleep tomorrow would come, and then he would have to leave his babyish side behind. He didn't want that to happen. But he was useless to fight it.

Sleep eventually came and overtook him for the night.

Although he was forced to put his babyish things in real life aside, he was still free to visit the nursery in his dreams. No one could take that away. He giggled and laughed as he played. It was the one place where he could be himself.

Hundreds of feet in the air, Solomon Moto was just entering Domino City. Looking over the entire city that was asleep below him. He smiled, grateful to be home after a long expedition. As the plane landed, he felt excitement bubble up inside of him as the plane slowed to a stop. He unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up, stretching gratefully after a long flight. He watched as the other passengers moved to get their bags and get off of the plane. He got his duffel bag from the overhead compartment and then got off the plane. He was the last one to leave, other than the crew. He walked down the tunnel before going to pick up his luggage at baggage claim. When that was done he waited for a cab to come and take him home. He loaded his bags into the trunk and got in the back seat.

As the streets of town whizzed by, he felt his anticipation growing the closer he got to the Kame Game Shop. When he finally arrived, it was one o'clock in the morning. He paid the cab driver, unloaded his bags, got out his house key and went inside. Things seemed to be well maintained, and he smiled as he thought about how well his grandson had done. He took his bags to his room and set them by the bed. He would unpack later. But first he decided to check on Yugi. He walked down the hall and opened the door just a crack to see his grandson sleeping peacefully. With a smile he quietly shut the door and went back to his own bedroom, where he changed into his pajamas and decided to try and get some sleep for the night.

Morning came all too quickly for Yugi's taste, and his alarm began blaring, waking him up from his wonderful dreams. He smacked it to turn it off and then rolled over in bed. And so it began. He got to his feet and shuffled to the bathroom. The one aspect of his babyhood that was absolutely staying were the diapers- mostly because he had become almost completely dependent on them during the time his grandfather was away. He threw his diaper in the trash and then got into the shower that was filling with hot mist. He took his shower and then got out and laid on the floor so that Atem could change him. Once he was diapered he got dressed and ready to go. He made sure to check that absolutely everything was hidden away before he left his room.

He went down the hall and turned into the kitchen to see that his grandpa had gotten in earlier than expected. He smiled brightly, genuinely happy to see him, but couldn't help but feel self conscious about his diaper. He ignored his fear and went over to his grandpa, who was reading the paper at the kitchen table.

"Grandpa, you're back!" He said excitedly. Solomon set down his newspaper and gave his grandson a tight hug.

"Yugi! It's good to see you. I didn't think I would see you until after school."

"How was the dig?" He asked, grabbing a piece of fruit from the fridge.

"It went very well. Professor Hawkins made a few new discoveries that I'm sure will go on to be revolutionary!"

"That's awesome, Grandpa!" He said, before glancing at the clock. "I have to go now or I'll be late for school. See you later!" He said, getting his backpack and heading to the door.

"See you after school, Yugi." He said. Yugi flashed him a smile before going out the door.

As Solomon watched him go, he couldn't help but feel that his grandson was hiding something from him. He could tell Yugi's interest in his trip was genuine, but he also knew that he had time to get to school and was using it as an excuse to leave. He had been caught off guard by _something_. His early arrival, perhaps? Maybe. But one thing was for sure, he vowed that he would be watching Yugi carefully from then on.


	19. Back

Yugi walked to school feeling uncharacteristically melancholy. Although he was happy to have his grandfather home, he was saddened by the restriction that came with it. It meant that the only place he could still be completely himself was in his dreams, and that was tough for him to swallow. He saw a pebble on the sidewalk and started absently kicking it down the street. His normally optimistic attitude was gone for the moment, so he walked to school with a stormy cloud over his head. He picked up his books from his locker and went to class. His friends saw him and said hello, but he barely acknowledged them. They all looked at each other and immediately became concerned. But before they could find out what was wrong, the bell rang and they all reluctantly sat down at their desks. Yugi knew he should be paying attention, but it was no use. He was just too distracted to learn anything.

Yugi's friends weren't the only ones who noticed this sudden shift in behavior. Seto Kaiba noticed as well. He wondered why the always upbeat Yugi Moto could be so glum. The first thought that crossed his mind was that perhaps it had to do with his dueling title. Maybe he lost a match? He quickly dismissed the idea. He would have heard of the international champion would have lost a match. It had to be something else. Maybe it had something to do with the secret he had uncovered. He decided to leave it alone for now. Although he wanted to beat Yugi at Duel Monsters with a fiery passion, it wouldn't be any fun to do it while he was down. He wanted his opponent to be at his absolute best so that when he crushed him his victory would be even sweeter.

By the time lunch rolled around, Tèa, Tristan, and Joey were half crazed with worry for their friend. They all sat down at their designated table and leaned in close to their friend.

"Yug, you alright pal?" Asked Joey.

"Yeah man, you look a little down." Added Tristan.

"Talk to us. What's up?" Tèa finished.

Yugi sighed quietly. "Grandpa came home early today."

"That's great news!" Said Tèa enthusiastically.

"Yeah. How was his trip?" Asked Joey.

"It was good. I'm happy to see him and I'm glad he's home, but..."

"But what?"

"But now I don't have the house to myself anymore."

It took them a minute to catch up with his meaning. When they did, they looked at him with sympathy.

"That's rough." Said Joey.

"Sorry, Yugi."

"Yeah. That sucks."

"But at least your grandpa got home safe."

"Yeah. Thanks guys."

"Anytime."

They talked about unimportant things for the rest of the period. When the bell rang for class to start again Yugi went in feeling much better than he had before. He was so lucky to have such good friends. They never failed to be there when he needed them. For that he was grateful.

He decided to hang out with his friends after school, trying to prolong his trip home for as long as possible. He didn't know how long he would last at home without having some kind of release. Eventually the sun started to dip below the horizon and he was beginning to get tired. Reluctantly, Yugi went home. He stopped in to say hi to his Grandpa in the game shop before going upstairs. He was in dire need of a diaper change.

Atem appeared as he normally did, but he was very hesitant and cautious about what he was about to do. He had been listening to Yugi's thoughts all day long, and knew how nervous he was about this first change. He just wanted to make this as smooth as possible. He shut the bathroom door as Yugi laid down on the floor. Atem remained calm and collected as he started the process. He could see how tense Yugi was, and tried as hard as possible to be encouraging. Yugi physically flinched at the loud tearing noise the tapes made. He was sure it was loud enough for the whole town to hear- or at least his grandpa down in the game shop. Atem merely winced. The rest of the change wasn't nearly as bad, but it did little to silence Yugi's heart that was thundering inside of his chest. When he was done, Yugi felt extremely relieved. He had made it. The worst was over now. Knowing that, he was able to breathe a little easier.

After that ordeal was over, Yugi decided to get his homework done, and was reminded of how much he hated geometry. Biology wasn't exactly much fun either. He finished his homework just in time for dinner. He went down and ate with his grandpa, who told him in great detail about his adventures with Professor Hawkins at their latest dig. Yugi sat there, fascinated with his grandfather's stories. However, as enticed as he was by his tale, his attention wasn't focused solely on him. He was waiting for something to happen that would give him away. His ears were tuned to hear faintest crinkle of his diaper. His eyes covertly searched for a trace of bulk that might look abnormal. He constantly found himself sniffing the air to make sure the scent of baby powder wasn't pungent on him. But, like before, nothing happened. He had gotten away with it- at least for now. When dinner was over he feigned tiredness and went up to his room to go to sleep. He crawled under the covers and laid there for a long time, sucking his thumb and crying. Cocooned in the darkness he felt free to embrace who he truly was. For about an hour he played quietly by himself, with Atem watching over him from inside of the millennium puzzle. When he actually got tired, he put his things away, snuggled under the warm blankets, and finally fell asleep.


	20. Figured Out

The next few days were much the same as the first one. Yugi was very careful to hide his secrets at home, and his only release was when he dreamed. But slowly, he began to grow agitated with it. At first he didn't even realize it was happening. It was so subtle that it was almost unnoticeable. It occurred every time he walked past his grandpa, and each time he passed by the drawers that held his secret stash of baby things. The slightest twinge of irritation occurred, so small that he almost didn't notice it. Until one day when he realized that he was actually upset about the matter.

His grandpa had made a quick run to the store, and Yugi was finally able to have some free time. He shoved his pacifier into his mouth and started to suck. Slowly, he started to relax. He got in tune with his babyish side, and was instantly calmed down. He hugged his Kuriboh to his chest and cuddled it. Abruptly, his mood shifted. He felt the beginnings of a tantrum starting to brew inside of him. Atem came out of the puzzle and knelt down beside him.

"What is it, Yugi?" He asked. Yugi sniffed and took his pacifier out. He wasn't really sure What was wrong per se. He just had the sensation that everything was. He started to cry to himself. Atem held him in a hug for a long while, and waited. Eventually he would tell him what the matter was. He just had to be patient.

"I miss this." He sobbed. "I want it back."

"I know. I miss it too." He replied quietly.

He stayed that way for a while until he calmed down. Yugi quieted when Atem put his pacifier in his mouth again. He slowly stopped crying. He realized that the crying he had done had taken a lot out of him, and that he was actually pretty tired. Promising himself he'd wake up before his grandpa got back, he curled up into a ball on the floor and fell asleep. Atem decided to keep watch in case something happened.

Atem heard the front door shut. His eyes widened, and he knew he didn't have a lot of time. He grabbed the Kuriboh from off of the floor and took the pacifier from between Yugi's lips. He threw them into a drawer and haphazardly closed it before retreating inside the millennium puzzle. Somehow, despite that, Yugi was still asleep.

Solomon Moto got home from the store and put the few groceries he had away. The only thing he saved was some candy he got for his grandson. Hoping to see the look of delight on his face, he went upstairs. Yugi's door was left open a crack, and he could see inside. His grandson was curled up on the floor, fast asleep. Solomon smiled. He hadn't done that since he was a toddler. He recalled many a time when Yugi had declared that he didn't need a nap, so Solomon would tell him he didn't have to take one. Twenty minutes later, he would be down for the count.

When he looked from his grandson, he saw that one of the drawers was sticking out on one side from it's place. That was peculiar. Yugi was a fairly tidy person. He wasn't one to leave things out like that. Quietly, Solomon stepped inside, careful to walk around his grandson and went over to the drawer. He started to softly close it when he heard something begin to roll and then hit the inside of the drawer. He looked to see what it was and saw that it was a baby bottle. That made him curious. What was he doing with that? He wasn't one to snoop around, but this was making him think twice. He would have stopped if yet another thing hadn't made a noise inside of the drawer. He opened it up a bit more and saw a pacifier under a shirt. Solomon wasn't quite on to his grandson's secret yet, but he was beginning to put two and two together. He looked over to Yugi, who was still sleeping peacefully and smiled at him. It was at that moment that Yugi's thumb made its way into his mouth. Now things were beginning to make sense. He looked around and saw something small sticking out from under the bed. It was a hand. When he looked closer, he saw that it was a stuffed dark magician doll. The final piece of the puzzle came through when he realized that the room smelled completely of baby powder. He hadn't been in Yugi's room since he'd been back, so this was the first time he'd ever smelt it. He briefly wondered if he hadn't seen all these clues, would he still have been able to place the scent? Oh well. He'd never know. But he looked down at his grandson with a smile, and quietly left the room.

Meanwhile, Atem had seen everything that had just happened from inside the puzzle. He had wanted to intervene so badly, but knew he couldn't do that without waking up Yugi. And letting Yugi see his grandpa uncovering his secrets was something he could never allow. But now he was faced with a dilemma of epic proportions: how was he to explain all this, and how could he keep it from Yugi? He pondered the question until his head ached. But he had to do something. He had made himself a guardian over Yugi's babyish side. He was a Daddy for crying out loud! He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. So he had a decision to make. How was he going to do this. Then, out of the blue, he had an idea. So he had to wait until Yugi was in bed for the night to start his plan. He was determined to save him. He would protect Yugi, no matter what it cost him.


	21. Deal

**Author's Note: I do not own "All through the night".  
**  
Yami ensured that Yugi went to bed fairly early that night. When he was sure Yugi was asleep and checked on him to make sure he was entertained in the nursery, before he took over their body. He threw off the covers and got out of bed, where he went searching for Yugi's grandfather.

Solomon had spent the evening organizing some of his duel monsters cards. He had just finished putting all of his trap cards in order when he heard footsteps coming from down the hall. He looked up to see the Pharaoh turning the corner into the living room.

Solomon smiled. "Come and sit down." He offered. Yami nodded and took a seat next to him.

"I know what you saw today." He said quietly.

"I was wondering when you would come and see me about that." He said neutrally.

"You're not surprised?"

"I raised my grandson from the time he was born. Very few things about him truly surprise me."

Yami couldn't get over the fact that he wasn't shocked. "Even his friends were shocked by this."

"So they know?"

"Yes."

Solomon smiled. "Good."

Yet again, Yami was surprised, but didn't say anything.

Solomon continued. "How did this all begin, anyways?"

"Not long after you left, actually." He said. "I was walking through his subconscious and found a door that led to a desire for this as a lifestyle. I put it in one of his dreams to see how he would react. And, as you can see, he took to it. I appointed myself as a guardian over him. He needs protection. There's been so much that I haven't been able to save him from witnessing, so much I wish he hadn't had to see. But this was my chance to keep him safe for once. I couldn't bear to fail him again. I've become a father figure to him when he's in that mindset. He needs me, and I know he needs you too. But he doesn't know that you know about this. He's afraid to tell you. He didn't want his friends to know, but they found out one by one anyways. I'm not sure why he's afraid of you knowing, but he is. Please don't let him know that you are clued in to this."

Solomon nodded. "Of course. Your secret is safe with me."

Yami smiled gratefully. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome." He said. He paused for a moment, and then spoke again. "Can you tell me what he likes to do?"

Atem was surprised, but nodded. "He loves to play with his stuffed animals, he likes watching cartoons, he likes listening to music. He loves to have his blanket with him, and take naps."

Solomon smiled. "Good."

"Why do you ask?"

"I wondered if he still liked the things he did when he was little. Now I know." He said, smiling. Atem smiled slightly back.

"Thank you for keeping this secret."

"He's my grandson. It's my job to keep him safe."

Atem bade Solomon goodnight and then went back to his bedroom. He climbed back under the covers and went inside the millennium puzzle. Once inside the corridors he heard the faint sound of crying and leapt into action. He ran to the nursery door and threw it open to see Yugi crying in his crib. He shut the door and went over to him, picked him up, and settled him in his lap.

"What's wrong?" Asked Atem.

He snuggled up to his counterpart and slowly calmed down.

"I was lonely." He said, whimpering. Atem smiled.

"I'm here. Don't worry. You're not alone anymore."

Yugi sniffled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

But Yugi still seemed to be a little too quiet.

"What is it?" Asked Atem. Yugi looked up at him curiously. "You're not telling me something." Atem continued.

"It's nothing." He said, squirming a bit in his lap.

"Yugi," he said in a gentle voice. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I had a bad dream earlier." He said sadly. "I don't wanna go to sleep and have it again."

"I'll make sure you don't have it again." He promised.

"How?" Asked Yugi with innocent, pleading eyes.

"Trust me. It'll be alright." He promised.

He picked up Yugi and went to change his diaper before laying him down in his crib. Atem put up the side of the crib, but Yugi reached for him through the bars.

"Sing?" He asked sweetly. Atem sighed. It really wasn't something he was good at, but he supposed he ought to give it a try. He remembered an old lullaby his mother used to sing, and decided to give it a shot. He cleared his throat, and began to sing.

"Sleep my child and peace attend thee,  
All through the night  
Guardian angels God will send thee,  
All through the night  
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping  
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
All through the night

Angels watching, e'er around thee,  
All through the night  
Midnight slumber close surround thee,  
All through the night  
Soft the drowsy hours are creeping,  
Hill and dale in slumber sleeping  
I my loved ones' watch am keeping,  
All through the night

While the moon her watch is keeping  
All through the night  
While the weary world is sleeping  
All through the night  
O'er thy spirit gently stealing  
Visions of delight revealing  
Breathes a pure and holy feeling  
All through the night

Angels watching ever round thee  
All through the night  
In thy slumbers close surround thee  
All through the night  
They will of all fears disarm thee,  
No forebodings should alarm thee,  
They will let no peril harm thee  
All through the night.

Though I roam a minstrel lonely  
All through the night  
My true harp shall praise sing only  
All through the night  
Love's young dream, alas, is over  
Yet my strains of love shall hover  
Near the presence of my lover  
All through the night

Hark, a solemn bell is ringing  
Clear through the night  
Thou, my love, art heavenward winging  
Home through the night  
Earthly dust from off thee shaken  
Soul immortal shalt thou awaken  
With thy last dim journey taken  
Home through the night."

He smiled when he saw that Yugi was fast asleep, and decided to get some sleep himself.


	22. Blackmail

Seto Kaiba was a man of action. He firmly believed in doing whatever it took to get what he wanted- well, other than cheating and stealing, that is. But he certainly wasn't above blackmail. So he made a choice to use it to get what he wanted. But before he could do anything, he had to prove that his theory was correct. So he hired the best private eye in the city to get him the photographic evidence he needed to make his claim plausible.

For a few days, the PI was out of luck. He never caught Yugi doing anything of the nature that Seto Kaiba had predicted. He was beginning to think the man who hired him was wrong. However, on the third day, he got a break.

Solomon Moto had left for a few hours to go and see a friend, so Yugi was free at last to release his babyish side. He got dressed in his short shirt and socks. Atem appeared before him and changed him into a new diaper. Then he got into the drawer and got out Yugi's pacifier and a bottle for him. He tossed the stuffed animals onto the floor for him to play with, and then went to fix him a bottle of milk.

The private investigator had a lot of problems trying to figure out how he was going to get these shots that first day there. Even if Kaiba was right it would still take a lot of planning to take these pictures considering Yugi's room was on the second floor. Thankfully, across the street was a skyscraper, so he was able to get to a window facing Yugi's room and used his camera with optical zoom to do the rest. They weren't the most high quality pictures ever taken, but they were enough to get the job done.

The private Investigator took several shots of Yugi by himself and a few of an unknown person handing him things. All he ever got were photos of arms and hands of the other person- not a single glimpse of their face. But he doubted that that mattered to his employer as long as he gave him what he was expected to. When he was certain that he'd gotten everything he needed, he left the skyscraper and drove to Kaiba Corp's main office. He took the elevator to the top floor to see a lady on the phone at a secretarial desk. She noticed him and smiled politely before getting off of the phone.

"Welcome to Kaiba Corp. My name is Julie, how can I help you today?"

"My name is Gary Eldridge. Mr. Kaiba is expecting me."

"One moment please." She pushed an intercom button. "Mr. Kaiba, there's a Gary Eldridge here to see you."

"Excellent. Send him in."

Julie directed him to the doors of his office before closing them and returning to her desk.

Gary went inside confident and prepared. He saw Seto Kaiba working on something on his laptop.

"Take a seat." He said, motioning to one of the chairs in front of his desk. Gary obliged him. Kaiba shut his laptop and looked over at the detective. "I take it you have what I asked for?"

"It took some doing, but I got it. Everything you asked for. But I gotta warn you- it ain't pretty." He said, handing over the folder of photos. Kaiba looked them over and felt his stomach knot up. In disgust or surprise, he did not know. Maybe it was both. He grimaced at a few of them before looking back up at the Detective.

"I must say I'm impressed that you managed to get these pictures. I thought you might have backed out on me when things got a little too hard."

"I never back down, sir. I'm committed to giving my clients quality service in a timely manner."

"So I see. Well, you've done your job." He said, standing up to pull out his wallet. He got out a stack of one hundred dollar bills and handed them to him.

"Thank you Mr. Kaiba. And should you need me in the future, my door is always open." Kaiba nodded and the detective bade him good day and left to go home.

Kaiba pulled the file toward him and looked again at the pictures. His hunch had been correct. He didn't actually care about what Yugi was doing. That meant nothing to him. He only cared about the fact that he could use it against him to get what he wanted. And these pictures were perfect for that. He placed the file in his briefcase and went on with his work day.

The next day at school, he lugged his briefcase along with him, and set it down beside his desk. He waited patiently until it became lunch time to begin his plan. He stood against the back wall of the cafeteria and waited until Yugi was walking toward him with his lunch to sequester him in a corner.

"Yugi," he said, "I have something I think you'll want to see."

Yugi followed, curious. He got into his briefcase and pulled out the file and then opened it to show him what was inside. Yugi's face drained of color for a few seconds before his face went beet red.

"What do you want, Kaiba?" He asked rather sullenly. Kaiba smirked at him in the most condescending way possible.

"it's simple, Yugi. I want one last shot at dethroning the king of games once and for all! I'm tired of being second best to you. I used to be the world champion. I had absolutely everything, and now everyone is trying to take what's mine. Well I'm not going to sit there and take it! I want to prove once and for all that I deserve to be the number one duelist in the world, and I'll do whatever it takes to get my shot! So get ready Yugi, because It's time to duel!"


	23. Duel

Before Yugi could even think about how to react, Yami took over, paternal instincts in overdrive. The millennium puzzle glowed, and Yami looked straight at Kaiba. The normal icy stare he gave that made others squirm beneath his gaze did not phase Yami, who stared at him with serious eyes.

"If you want a shot at my title, you have one. But I want your word that those pictures will be disposed of. I expect them to be burned, and more importantly, I expect you to not tell anyone."

"I'm no snitch, Yugi." He said, turning around. "I'll see you at the pier later today."

"Fine."

Yami went to sit back with his friends.

"Hey Yug, what did Kaiba want?" Asked Joey.

"He wanted to duel."

"So what did you say?" Asked Tèa.

"I said yes. I had no choice."

"What do you mean?" Asked Tristan.

"He found out and has pictures."

Every one of them stopped eating.

"He KNOWS?!" Asked Joey, almost choking on his food. "That jerk! I oughta pound the stuffing outa him!

"Yes. Dueling him is the only way out."

"We'll be there for you." Said Tèa. Yami smiled.

"Thank you."

Yami stayed in control the rest of the day, and after school he and his friends went to the pier. Yami strapped on his duel disk and stood across from Kaiba.

"Before this duel begins I want those pictures disposed of." Yami commanded.

"Fine." Said Kaiba. He opened his briefcase and threw the file into the sea.

Yami turned his duel disk on and loaded in his deck.

"Are you ready to lose?" Asked Kaiba.

"I should be asking you that question. May the best duelist win!"

"I intend to."

"I'll go first. I'll start by playing my kings knight in attack mode! Then I'll place two cards face down, and end my turn."

"Fine. I summon battle Ox in attack mode, then place two cards face down. Now, battle Ox, attack his kings knight!"

His king's knight was destroyed, and his life points went down to 3900.

"Very well. First, I'll summon my watapon to the field! Then, I'll sacrifice it to bring forth my dark magician girl! And next, I'll activate magic formula to increase her power! Now, dark magician girl, attack his battle Ox with dark magic attack!"

Battle Ox was destroyed, and Kaiba was down 800 life points.

"I summon la jinn, the mystical genie of the lamp! And then I activate my face down card- monster reborn, to bring back my battle Ox! And now I sacrifice them to bring forth my mighty blue eyes white dragon!"

With a blast of white lightning, dark magician girl was obliterated, but magic formula increased Yami's life points by 1000. So his life points were at 4600.

"I'll summon alpha the magnet warrior in defense mode! Then I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"Good. I summon lord of dragon, and equip him with my face down card. Flute of summoning dragon! This allows me to summon two dragons from my deck- and I choose my other two blue eyes!"

They appeared together with a kind of majesty. Now, my blue eyes, attack his magnet warrior now!

"Activate mirror force!"

With a blaze of flashing light, the three dragons disappeared while Kaiba stared with an open jaw.

"Now, I activate monster reborn to bring back my watapon! And then I summon my Kuriboh! Now I shall sacrifice my two monsters to summon my Dark Magician!" Now, Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!"

Kaiba's life points went down by 2500. He was down to his last 700 life points.

"I activate the magic card the shallow grave! That lets me bring back my blue eyes in defense mode!"

"It also lets me bring back a monster- and I choose dark magician girl!"

"Next I'll bring forth my Vorse raider in defense mode, then place one card face down and end my turn."

"I place two cards face down, then activate the magic card Mage power! This gives a monster of my choice five hundred extra attack points for every magic and trap card I have on the field! And I have two! So I give the points to my dark magician! Now, dark magician, attack his blue eyes!"

"I activate the trap card negate attack, forcing you to end your battle phase."

"Fine."

"I'll Change my blue eyes to attack mode, and now I'll use it to attack your dark magician girl!"

"Activate magic cylinder! This Negates the attack of of your monster and inflicts damage equal to the attacking monster's ATK to your Life Points, and I count 3,000!"

Kaiba's life points dropped to zero instantly.

Yugi's friends gathered around him, cheering and clapping him on the back.

"That was awesome, Yug!"

"You did great!"

"Nice job!"

"Thank you." He said, smiling, then looked at Kaiba with a ferocious glare, and walked over to him.

"Let this be a lesson to you- never try and get your way by blackmailing someone, because you will lose in the end." He said solemnly. Kaiba was still standing there, dumbstruck at having lost so quickly. Finally, Yugi was allowed to take over again. Yami stood next to him, smiling.

"Thanks." He said, looking at Yami with a smile.

"You're welcome." He said quietly.

His friends walked him home and Yugi finally felt secure again. His secret was uncovered, but hopefully now the only person that might out him would be quieted. He left the pier while Kaiba stood there, shocked.

It wasn't the actual loss that stunned him this time. It was the fact that he lost to someone who willingly acted like a baby. It was embarrassing and humiliating. He had no idea what to do now. His one shot was down the drain and he had nothing left now. His blackmail was down the drain. Now what could he do? Unable to think of anything, he decided to go home.


	24. Plan

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't included a note for a while. I've been pretty busy. But I hope you all are liking the story!**

Yugi was tired by the time he got home. He said goodbye to his friends and decided to take a nap until dinner. He went in his room and climbed under the covers and stuck his thumb in his mouth. He knew he should probably care about it more if he wanted to keep it a secret, but he just couldn't bring himself to. He fell asleep and finally was at a place where he could get away from the real world and be somewhere of his own creation. He didn't have to worry about his secret. He could just be free.

Yami was there to welcome Yugi home. He led him into the nursery and helped him onto the changing table. After getting him changed into a fresh diaper, he got him into more comfortable clothes. He helped him into the crib and lifted up the side. He let Yugi play for a while. Although he usually played with him, he wanted to watch this time. He needed to be reminded that there was still innocence in the world, and that not everyone was completely black hearted. Yet simultaneously, he worried about Yugi, not because of what he enjoyed doing in his private life, but because he had remained so innocent. The innocence he had was so precious, so rare, and he didn't want the rest of the world to take that away. He knew that he was a shield of sorts, helping to take some of the hardest blows away, but he also knew he might not always be there to deflect them.

After a while he grew tired of watching and chose to play with his son instead. He let down the side of the crib and helped him down onto the floor. They played together for a while with Yugi's favorite duel monsters, until Yugi grew bored. Atem decided to go and make him a bottle, while Yugi stayed in the nursery. He was glad for a few minutes alone. He wanted to think of a good way to thank Atem for all he'd done for him. But what could he do? How could he accurately explain everything he'd done and how much it meant to him? He didn't know. But he knew he had to think of something. His thoughts were cut short when Atem came back bearing a warm bottle. He smiled brightly and crawled over to the rocking chair where he sat and climbed up into his lap. He happily suckled on the bottle, still trying to think of something special to do without letting him know what he was planning. However, Atem was already clued into the fact that Yugi had something on his mind, he just didn't know what. After the bottle was gone, they sat together for a long time. Not talking, just enjoying their time with each other and the happy silence. Both of them were pulled from their reverie when the shrill call of reality came breaking through their dream.

"Yugi! Dinner!" Called Solomon from outside the hallway.

Suddenly, like sand in an hourglass, the room around them slipped away. There was darkness for a few moments, then, Yugi bolted awake as reality set back in.

"Be right there, Grandpa!" He called. He threw off the covers and then went to the bathroom so that he could be changed. Atem gladly changed him, and then went back inside the puzzle. Yugi went out to the dining room table where his Grandpa sat waiting for him. He smiled and saw that hamburgers were on the menu for dinner tonight. He sat down and started fixing his plate.

"How was school today, Yugi?" Asked Solomon. Yugi almost blushed as he recalled Kaiba's blackmail to him.

"It was fine." He said a little too quickly. That raised a red flag for Solomon, but he knew better than to ask outright. This might be a little more sensitive than he knew, and he had a promise to keep to Atem that he wouldn't let Yugi know that he knew his secret.

"Did you have any tests today?"

Yugi breathed a secret sigh of relief when his grandfather changed the subject.

"No, but I have one coming up later."

He talked about that for a minute or two before his grandpa asked him another question that made him nervous.

"Did anything interesting happen?"

"I fought a duel today." He said, getting the feeling that he should at least tell the partial truth.

"Really? Against who?"

"Kaiba..."

"Who won?" Solomon knew it was a ridiculous question as soon as he asked it, but it was a formality that he had to go through. He could tell by Yugi's face that he had won. He chortled out a little laugh.

"That's my boy."

Yugi blushed. They spoke throughout dinner about the duel and the different strategies they used until the meal ended. Yugi excused himself back to his bedroom after that, while Solomon looked on with a smile. Yugi decided to go through his dueling deck and organize it, asking for Atem's help. He knew that doing that would certainly district his mind long enough for him to be able to come up with something special to give him. But what could he do? What could he give to symbolize his deep thankfulness and joy. Then, like lightning, the perfect idea hit. And he smiled, for he knew exactly what to do.

That night Yugi went to bed with a plan in mind. He was going to give Atem what may possibly be the greatest gift ever, but first, as with every endeavor he took on, he knew he needed a little help from the people he relied on most- his friends. And just a tad from his grandpa too. When his mind finally settled down enough to go to sleep, he made sure to lock those precious thoughts away in a place where his Daddy wouldn't find them. Then, satisfied with his work, he happily fell asleep.


	25. Together

Yugi was very careful to control his thoughts the next day. He didn't want Atem to catch wind of what he was planning. He even took off the puzzle to make sure part of it stayed secret. He got what he wanted from his grandpa, and then went to talk to his friends. Slowly, he came up with a plan, and was more than ready to execute it the following day. He was going to make it a day to remember.

He got up early that morning and slipped the first surprise into his dueling deck. Then, he went inside the millennium puzzle to find Atem. He found him with surprising ease. He was wandering the corridors of the puzzle when Yugi found him.

"Yugi? What are you doing here?" He asked, surprised.

"I was looking for you. I have a surprise for you."

Immediately, Atem got the sensation that something was up. He let Atem take over and then came out of the puzzle. He grabbed his deck and put it in his card holder, put on his duel disk, and went downstairs where his first surprise was waiting. All of his friends were gathered in the living room. His face broke out in a smile.

"What are you all doing here?"

"We came because Yugi asked us to." Explained Tèa, eyes alight.

"He wanted to give you the best day ever, so we're here to make it happen!" Said Tristan.

"And it all starts right now!" Said Joey.

Atem smiled at Yugi, who stood beside him in a Phantasmal form.

Thank you, Yugi. He thought with a smile.

Yugi gave a happy nod, then went inside the puzzle to watch his plan unfurl. Joey headed out the door first, excited to see the first stop of their journey. The rest of them followed until they got to a back alley.

"What are we doing here?" Asked Atem.

"What do you think, pal? We're kicking things off with a bang! We're dueling here!"

"Alright. But why here?"

"Because this is right where those rare hunters came to snatch my red eyes. You won that back for me, Yug. So I wanted to come back here and make a place that had a bad memory into someplace that had a great one."

Yami smiled. "That's a great idea, Joey."

"Thanks, Yug. Now hand over your deck so we can do this thing!" He said. The two of them shuffled one another's decks before loading their decks into their respective duel disks and turning them on.

"It's time to duel!" They chorused. When Yami drew his first hand, a flash of something shiny caught his eye. He turned to look at it, and was dumbfounded. The card's lettering was raised up and written in gold. The picture was shiny and beautiful. When he looked down at the bottom of the card, he saw that it was a first edition. And it wasn't just any card. It was his most trusted monster.

Another Dark Magician.

Yugi, who was watching from inside the puzzle, couldn't stop grinning when he saw the look on his Daddy's face.

Yami broke out into the biggest smile, and silently thanked his son for the beautiful gift before beginning the duel. It was a close one, coming neck and neck until the very end. But in the end, Joey lost by a narrow window of 100 life points. When their duel was done, Tèa took the lead to take them to the next spot. She led the four of them to the Domino City museum, where they enjoyed the remnants of the exhibit on ancient Egypt that was back for a limited time.

After that, Tristan took them out to the Burger World restaurant for lunch. Finally, the four of them spent the rest of the day at the park, enjoying nature. It was nice to spend the day doing normal things for once. To not have to worry about saving the world and to just relax was a blessing. They spent their time talking and laughing and just being teenagers. When the day faded out they all made a point to walk Yami home before departing for the day.

When Yami arrived, he was gladdened to see Yugi's Grandpa, who he thanked for the card. Solomon chortled and made light of it before sitting down to a dinner of all of Yami's favorite dishes. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, Solomon said that he had to go to a meeting with a friend and wouldn't be back until later that night, giving father and son the chance to interact. Yami thanked him for the meal (and, unknown to Yugi, for the time alone) before heading to the bedroom.

When the door was shut, Yugi emerged from the puzzle. He was about to ask how his father liked the surprise when Yami surprised him by pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you." He said. Yugi smiled. He knew it would work.

"Thank you. You've done so much for me and given me someone to depend on. I didn't know how to thank you, so I did this as a small token of appreciation."

"This was the best day I've had in a long time."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Yugi was changed into his favorite outfit and given his toys while Atem went to go and fix him a bottle. When he came back, Yugi climbed into his lap for a feeding. The bottle was drained quickly, but Yugi stayed in his Daddy's lap. He was so happy and joyful. He felt safe and secure, and knew that despite all the bad and evil he'd faced he had somebody who he could depend on. He fell asleep in his lap, which made Atem smile. He had been blessed with a second life, good friends, and most of all a wonderful son. He couldn't believe how his life turned out, but was grateful nonetheless. And to think it had all started with a dream.

 **Author's Note: Well folks, that's all for now. I'm so glad you all loved this story, and I love all of you amazing readers! However, I might be getting a job pretty soon. If I get it, I'll be taking some time off from my writing to get back into the swing of things. But don't worry- I'll be back! Thank you all so much for reading!**

 **With Love,**

 **Holly**


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